Willmore flow of planar networks (Q2423240)

The authors consider an elastic energy or Willmore type flow for networks of three curves meeting at triple junctions. Two types of configurations are considered: theta-networks (three regular curves that intersect at their endpoints in two triple junctions), and triods (three regular curves meeting at a triple junction with the remaining three endpoints lying on the boundary of an open set \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^2\)). Two types of flows are considered: \(C^0\)-flow, in which the only constraint is that the curves stay attached at the junctions during the evolution, and \(C^1\)-flow, in which additionally the curves are required to meet at 120 degrees at the junctions. Variants also arise for triods according to the boundary conditions imposed at the nonjunction endpoints. The main result is the short time existence and uniqueness (in a geometric sense), for both the \(C^0\) and \(C^1\)-flows, for initial networks of class \(C^{4+\alpha}\) that are geometrically admissible in a suitable sense. The proof uses a fixed point argument based on Solonnikov's theory for linear parabolic systems in Hölder spaces. The fact that the junctions are allowed to move gives rise to tangential degrees of freedom, and care must be taken to choose extra boundary conditions that do not change the geometric problem. A key part of the proof is to check that the prescribed boundary conditions lead to a well posed problem. The elastic flow of curves was studied by \textit{A. Polden} [Closed curves of least total curvature. Universität Tübingen (1995); Curves and surfaces of least total curvature and fourth-order flows. Universität Tübingen (Ph.D. Thesis) (1996)], who proved short time existence for curves in the plane, as well as long time existence for closed curves. Subsequently several authors extended these results to curves in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) satisfying a variety of boundary conditions.