A variational approach to \(S^1\)-harmonic maps and applications (Q6056506)

Motivated by the theory of Hamiltonian stationary Lagrangian surfaces, the authors provide, in this quite interesting paper, a new renormalization procedure of the Dirichlet Lagrangian for maps from surfaces, with or without boundary, into \(S^1\), whose finite energy critical points are the \(S^1\)-harmonic maps with isolated singularities. The whole subject has been based on fundamental investigation of F. Bethuel, J. Bourgain, H. Brézis, F. Hélein, P. Mironescu among several others, see e.g., [\textit{F. Bethuel} and \textit{X. Zheng}, J. Funct. Anal. 80, No. 1, 60--75 (1988; Zbl 0657.46027)]. The more recent book [\textit{H. Brezis} and \textit{P. Mironescu}, Sobolev maps to the circle. From the perspective of analysis, geometry, and topology. New York, NY: Birkhäuser (2021; Zbl 1501.46001)], and references therein, gives a comprehensive perspective. In the paper under review, the authors, besides giving an alternative, more direct, variational approach to the subject, they avoid some drawbacks present in the groundbreaking investigation by \textit{F. Bethuel} et al. in the book [Ginzburg-Landau vortices. Boston, MA: Birkhäuser (1994; Zbl 0802.35142)]. Their main results are first a sequential weak completeness for \(S^1\)-valued maps with discrete topological singular set, and second giving an a-priori estimate on the number of the topological singularities for \(S^1\)-valued maps with finitely many topological singularities in \(D^2\), both under controlled renormalized Dirichlet Energy from their viewpoint (Theorems 1.1 and 1.2). A further central result assures that critical points of renormalized Dirichlet Energy are precisely \(S^1\)-harmonic maps (Theorem 1.3 and its corollary). Two applications complete the study, namely, first the renormalization of the Willmore energy for Lagrangian singular immersions into Kähler-Einstein surfaces, which is motivated by the crucial paper of \textit{R. Schoen} and \textit{J. Wolfson} [J. Differ. Geom. 58, No. 1, 1--86 (2001; Zbl 1052.53056)], and, second, after introducing a renormalized frame energy, the previous approach is then applied to study surfaces immersions into Euclidian spaces, see also, [\textit{P. Topping}, Calc. Var. Partial Differ. Equ. 11, No. 4, 361--393 (2000; Zbl 1058.53060)]. The paper concludes with an appendix containing some auxiliary results.