A non-local anisotropic model for phase transitions: asymptotic behaviour of rescaled energies (Q4236533)

In the paper a non-local anisotropic model for phase separation in two phase fluids at equilibrium is presented. Namely, for a fluid in a container \(\Omega\), where every configuration of the system is described by a scalar density \(u: \Omega \to \mathbb R\) of some intrinsic quantity, the free energy is given by \[ E(u) = {1 \over 4} \int_{\Omega \times \Omega} J(x' - x)(u(x') - u(x))^2 dx' dx + \int_{\Omega}W(u(x)) dx , \] where \(J\) is a positive interaction potential which vanishes at infinity and \(W\) is the double-well potential vanishing at \(\pm 1\) only. The authors prove that the variational limit \(F(u)\) of the rescaled energy functionals \(F_\epsilon (u)\) appropriately linked to the free energy \(E(u)\), is finite only when \(u = \pm 1\) a.e. and that in this case it is equal to the area of the interface which separates the sets \(\{u = +1\}\) and \(\{u = -1\}\) weighted by a positive anisotropic function \(\sigma\). The classical tension model due to van der Waals can be recovered when the thickness of the interface tends to zero in a suitable way. The extension to the multidimensional case is also briefly sketched. The \(\Gamma\)-convergence theory is used.