\(L^{\infty}\) energies on discontinuous functions (Q556495)

The paper is concerned with the analysis of the structure of minimum problems for not necessarily convex functionals on \(SBV\) spaces, depending on the essential sup norm, in the case of one space dimension. For \(\Omega\) a bounded interval of \(\mathbb R\), let \(F\) be the functional on \(SBV(\Omega)\) defined by \[ F(u)=\max\left\{\sup_{t\in\Omega}f(u'(t)),\sup_{t\in S(u)\cap\Omega}g([u](t))\right\}, \] where ``\(\sup\)'' means essential supremum, \(u'\) is the derivative of \(u\), \(S(u)\) is the set of the discontinuity points of \(u\), and \([u]=u(t+)-u(t-)\) is the jump of \(u\) at \(t\). In comparison with the analogous theory for integral energies on \(SBV\).spaces, it is proved that necessary and sufficient conditions for the \(L^1\)-lower semicontinuity of \(F\) are of structure and of compatibility type. The structure conditions on \(f\) and \(g\) require that \(f\) is level convex, and that \(g\) is sub-maximal in the sense that \(g(a+b)\leq\max\{g(a), g(b)\}\). The compatibility conditions deal with the growth of \(g\) at 0 and of \(f\) at infinity, and require that \(\lim_{z\to0\pm}g(z)=\lim_{z\to\pm\infty}f(z)\). When \(F\) is not lower semicontinuous, a relaxation theorem is proved showing that the \(L^1\)-lower semicontinuous envelope of \(F\) is a functional of the same form, with \(f\) and \(g\) replaced by suitably defined level-convex and sub-maximal envelopes, respectively. A simple formula is obtained when \(g\) itself is a level-convex function. The results are applied to the study of problems with Dirichlet boundary conditions, highlighting a complex behaviour of the solutions. Some examples are discussed in detail.