Extremality conditions and regularity of solutions to optimal partition problems involving Laplacian eigenvalues (Q261304)

The paper under review is concerned with general optimal partition problems of spectral type; they are optimization problems of the form \[ \min\Big\{F\big(\lambda_{k_1}(\omega_1),\dots,\lambda_{k_m}(\omega_m),\big)\;:\;(\omega_1,\dots,\omega_m)\in{\mathcal P}_m(\Omega)\Big\} \] where \(\Omega\) is a given bounded open subset of \(\mathbb R^N\), \(k_1,\dots,k_m\) are given integer numbers, \(\lambda_j(\omega)\) denotes the \(j\)-th eigenvalue of \(-\Delta\) on \(H^1_0(\omega)\), \({\mathcal P}_m(\Omega)\) denotes the family of \(m\)-tuples \((\omega_1,\dots,\omega_m)\) with \(\omega_j\) pairwise disjoint open subsets of \(\Omega\), \(F\) is a given function of \(m\) variables. For instance, an interesting case is \[ F(s_1,\dots,s_m)=s_1+\dots+s_m. \] The existence of an optimal partition was established in [\textit{D. Bucur} et al., Adv. Math. Sci. Appl. 8, No. 2, 571--579 (1998; Zbl 0915.49006)] in the larger class of \textit{quasi-open} sets, under very mild assumptions on the function \(F\). However, passing from quasi-open solutions to open solutions was only known in very particular cases, as the case \(N=2\) thanks to a compactness result by \textit{V. Šverák} [J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 72, No. 6, 537--551 (1993; Zbl 0849.49021)], and the case \(k_j=1\) for all \(j\) and \(F(s_1,\dots,s_m)=\sum_j s_j^p\) for some \(p>0\). The regularity properties of an optimal partition was, in most of the situations, an open question. The present paper considers a general dimension \(N\) and possibly higher eigenvalues \(\lambda_{k_j}\); the main result is that an optimal partition in open sets exists, together with the Lipschitz continuity of related eigenfunctions and some necessary conditions of optimality. The regularity issue is also considered, and it is shown that there exists an optimal partition \((\omega_1,\dots,\omega_m)\) with the set \(\Gamma=\Omega\setminus\cup_j\omega_j\) of a Hausdorff dimension at most \(N-1\), moreover the set \(\Gamma\) above is of class \(C^{1,\alpha}\) up to a singular set of dimension at most \(N-2\), and if \(N=2\) the singular set above is locally finite and the regular set is made of locally finite curves that meet at singular points with equal angles.