On \(\alpha \)-minimizing hypercones (Q776984)

The author considers the following problem in calculus of variations: Let \(n\geq 2\) be an integer and \(M\) an oriented Lipschitz hypersurface in \(\mathbb{R}^m\times \mathbb{R}_+=\{x,y)\}\), \(x\in \mathbb{R}^m\), \(y\in \mathbb{R}_+\). For \(\alpha >0\), the energy is defined by \[ E_\alpha(M):=\int_M y^\alpha d\mathcal{H}^{m-1}. \] The case \(m=2\) has been widely studied: In that case are often considered two points \(P_0\) and \(P_1\) and the question is to look for a curve joining these two points and minimizing \(E_\alpha\). For example, the case \(\alpha=1/2\) corresponds to the famous brachistochrone. Here the author is interested in hypercones that could be local minimizers. He proves that there exists a particular number \(\alpha_m > 2/m\) depending on the dimension and completely characterized by an explicit algebraic equation such that the cone \[ \mathcal{C}_m^\alpha:=\{0\leq y\leq \sqrt{\frac{\alpha}{m-1}}\,|x| \} \] is a local \(\alpha\)-perimeter minimizer for any \(\alpha \geq \alpha_m\). The notion of local \(\alpha\)-perimeter minimizer is inspired by the classical notion of quasi-minimizer where here the perimeter is considered with a weight \(y^\alpha\).