A shape optimization problem in cylinders and related overdetermined problems (Q6930608)

The paper deals with the following torsion problem with mixed boundary conditions: \N\[\N\begin{cases} \N-\Delta u = 1 &\text{ in }\Omega, \\\Nu = 0 &\text{ on }\Gamma_\Omega,\\\N\frac{\partial u}{\partial \nu} = 0 &\text{ on }\Gamma_{\! 1,\Omega}.\N\end{cases}\tag{1.1}\N\]\NHere, the bounded domain $\Omega$ must satisfy $|\Omega| \le c$ for a prescribed $c > 0$, and is constrained in the cylinder $\mathcal{C}_\omega = \omega \times \mathbb R$, where $\omega$ is a given $(N-1)$-dimensional bounded domain with Lipschitz boundary. Thus, the boundary of $\Omega$ is naturally split into two parts: $\Gamma_\Omega = \partial \Omega \cap \mathcal{C}_\omega$ and $\Gamma_{\! 1,\Omega} = \partial \Omega \cap \partial\mathcal{C}_\omega$, the latter with outer normal $\nu$. The authors are interested in mimimizing the energy functional $\mathcal{E}(\Omega)$ given by\N\[\N\mathcal{E}(\Omega) = {} -\frac{\, 1 \,}{\, 2 \,} \int_\Omega |\nabla u_\Omega|^2 \, dx = -\frac{\, 1 \,}{\, 2 \,} \int_\Omega u_\Omega \, dx,\N\]\Nwhere $u_\Omega$ is the solution of (1.1). They prove that a minimizer $\Omega^*$ exists, and satisfies $|\Omega| = c$ (see Theorem 1.1). The proof is based on the concentration-compactness principle [\textit{P.-L. Lions}, Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Anal. Non Linéaire 1, 109--145 (1984; Zbl 0541.49009)]. Of course, the minimizer is not unique because the problem is invariant under translations in the $x_N$-direction. Using the Steiner symmetrization, the authors also show that $\Omega^*$ can be chosen symmetric with respect to the hyperplane $x_N = 0$, and convex in the $x_N$-direction. Concerning the regularity of any minimizer $\Omega^*$, they prove that the relative boundary $\Gamma_{\Omega^*}$ is locally a smooth manifold, with some possible exceptions which are specified in Theorem 1.3. The special case when the domain $\Omega$ is the bounded cylinder $\Omega = \omega \times (-h/2, \, h/2)$ with $h > 0$ is discussed in detail. The paper complements [\textit{D. G. Afonso} et al., J. Geom. Anal. 34, No. 3, Paper No. 75, 43 p. (2024; Zbl 1535.35079)], where semilinear problems with mixed boundary conditions in a constrained domain are also considered.