The biharmonic Alt-Caffarelli problem in 2D (Q2159760)

In the article, the author considers the biharmonic Alt-Caffarelli problem. Suppose \(\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^2\) is an open bounded set with \(C^2\) boundary and \(u_0 \in C^\infty(\overline{\Omega})\) restricted to the boundary \(\partial \Omega\) is uniformly bounded from below by a positive constant. Let \[ \mathcal{E}(u)=\int_\Omega (\Delta u)^2 dx +|\{u>0\}| \] for \[ u \in \mathcal{A}(u_0)=\{u \in W^{2,2}(\Omega): u-u_0 \in W_0^{1,2}(\Omega) \}. \] By standard arguments in the calculus of variations, existence of a minimizer is known. Hence, let \(u \in \mathcal{A}(u_0)\) be a minimizer of \(\mathcal{E}\) on \(\mathcal{A}(u_0)\). The author proves: (i) \(u \in C^2(\Omega) \cap W_{\mathrm{loc}}^{3,2-\alpha}(\Omega)\) for each \(\alpha \in (0,1]\); (ii) \(\{u<0\} = \bigcup_{i=1}^N G_i \) for some \(N<\infty\), and \(G_i\) are disjoint with \(C^2\) boundary; (iii) \(\nabla u \neq 0\) on \(\partial \{u<0\}\), \(\mathcal{H}^1(\{u=0\})<\infty\), \[ 2 \int_\Omega \Delta u \Delta \phi dx=-\int_{\{u=0\}} \phi \frac{1}{|\nabla u|} d \mathcal{H}^1 \] for all \(\phi \in W^{2,2}(\Omega)\cap W_0^{1,2}(\Omega)\); (iv) non-uniqueness may hold: there exist \(\Omega\) and \(u_0\) as above such that \(\mathcal{E}\) has more than one minimizer in \(\mathcal{A}(u_0)\); (v) (via Talenti's inequality) when \(\Omega=B_1(0)\), \(u_0=\mathrm{constant}\), then there exists a radial minimizer; also, the author fully characterizes radial minimizers on annuli. In the process, he utilizes Navier boundary conditions: \(\Delta u=0\) on \(\partial \Omega\) under certain conditions. Last, the author mentions some related open problems, for instance the optimal interior regularity: an explicit solution he found is not in \(C^3\), however it is in \(C^{2,1}\), hence one may expect additional information on the modulus of \(D^2u\).