A note on \(n\)-axially symmetric harmonic maps from \(B^3\) to \(S^2\) minimizing the relaxed energy (Q647606)

The author gives explicit examples of harmonic maps \(B^3\to S^2\) minimizing the relaxed Dirichlet energy (in the sense of [\textit{F. Bethuel, H. Brézis} and \textit{J.-M. Coron}, Prog. Nonlinear Differ. Equ. Appl. 4, 37--52 (1990; Zbl 0793.58011)]). They are \(n\)-axially-symmetric (\(n\geq 2\)), i.e., \(S^1\)-equivariant with respect to \(S^1\) acting as usual on \(B^3\), but by \(n\)-fold angles on \(S^2\). The boundary data are nonconstant, and the singular part of the relaxed energy does not vanish. The examples can also be rephrased in the setting of Cartesian currents following [\textit{M. Giaquinta, G. Modica} and \textit{J. Souček}, Cartesian currents in the calculus of variations I. Cartesian currents. Berlin: Springer (1998; Zbl 0914.49001)]. The paper also contains an interesting discussion of the consequences the examples have for the prospects of regularity theory for relaxed energy minimizers. In some sense, the examples do not behave as could have been expected from the rather different \(n=1\) axially symmetric case, adding further obstacles to proving regularity.