On O'Hara knot energies. I: Regularity for critical knots (Q2080642)

The authors develop a regularity theory for extremal knots of scale invariant knot energies defined by \textit{J. O'Hara} [Topology 30, No. 2, 241--247 (1991; Zbl 0733.57005); Topology Appl. 48, No. 2, 147--161 (1992; Zbl 0769.57006)]. \[ \varepsilon^{\alpha,p}= \int \int_{(\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z})^2} \big(\frac{1}{|\gamma(x)-\gamma(y)|^ \alpha} -\frac{1}{D(\gamma(x),\gamma(y))^ \alpha}\big)^p |\dot{\gamma}(x)||\dot{\gamma}(y)| dx dy, \] where \(\gamma: \mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}\rightarrow \mathbb{R}^3\) is curve and \(D(\gamma(x),\gamma(y))\) is the distance between \(\gamma(x)\) and \(\gamma(y)\) while traveling along the curve \(\gamma\). The most famous of these energies if the Möbius energy \(\varepsilon^{2,1}\), which is invariant under Möbius transformation and has been studied in [\textit{M. H. Freedman} et al., Ann. Math. (2) 139, No. 1, 1--50 (1994; Zbl 0817.57011)]. All other O'Hara energies fail to be invariant under Möbius transformation. The authors overcome this difficulty by re-interpreting the scale invariant O'Hara knot energies as a nonlinear, nonlocal \(L^p\)-energy acting on the unit tangent of the knot parametrization. This allows the authors to draw a connection to the theory of (fractional) harmonic maps into spheres. Using this connection they are able to adapt the regularity theory for degenerate fractional harmonic maps in the critical dimension to prove regularity for minimizers and critical knots of the scale-invariant O'Hara knot energies \(\varepsilon^{\alpha,p}\) with \(\alpha p=2\) and \(p\ge 1\).