On the existence of \(N\)-junctions for a symmetric nonnegative potential with \(N+1\) zeros (Q6196027)

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Pavol Brunovsky. The author studies a nonnegative potential \(W : \mathbb{R}^2\to \mathbb{R}\) which is invariant under the rotation group of the regular polygon with \(N\) sides i.e. \(W(\omega z) = W(z)\), \(z \in \mathbb{R}^2\), where \(\omega\) is the rotation of angle \(2\pi N\). Assuming that \(\{W = 0\}= \{0, a, \omega a,\dots,\omega^{N-1}a\}\), for some \(a \in \mathbb{R}^2 \smallsetminus\{0\}\), it is provedd that there exists a \(N\)-junction, that is a solution \(U : \mathbb{R}^2\to \mathbb{R}^2\) of \[ \Delta u = W_u(u)\] which avoids zero and connects \(a, \omega a,\dots,\omega^{N-1}a\) at infinity. This theorem is important because it extends previous results valid for \(W(0) > 0\) to the case of potentials that vanish at zero.