On a conjecture of De Giorgi about the phase-field approximation of the Willmore functional

DOI10.1007/S00205-023-01870-ZMaRDI QIDQ6401609arXivWikidataFDO

Authors Giovanni Bellettini, Mattia Freguglia, Nicola Picenni

Publication date 9 June 2022

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Existence theories for optimal control problems involving partial differential equations (49J20) Methods involving semicontinuity and convergence; relaxation (49J45)

Abstract: In 1991 De Giorgi conjectured that, given $lambda>0$, if $m{u}_{v}arepsilon$ stands for the density of the Allen-Cahn energy and $v_{v}arepsilon$ represents its first variation, then $int[v_{v}arepsilo{n}^2+lambda]dm{u}_{v}arepsilon$ should $Gamma$-converge to $clambdamathrmPer(E)+kmathcalW(Sigma)$ for some real constant $k$, where $mathrmPer(E)$ is the perimeter of the set $E$, $Sigma=partialE$, $mathcalW(Sigma)$ is the Willmore functional, and $c$ is an explicit positive constant. A modified version of this conjecture was proved in space dimensions $2$ and $3$ by R"oger and Sch"atzle, when the term $int{v}_{v}arepsilo{n}^2,dm{u}_{v}arepsilon$ is replaced by $int{v}_{v}arepsilo{n}^2{varepsilon}^{-1}dx$, with a suitable $k>0$. In the present paper we show that, surprisingly, the original De Giorgi conjecture holds with $k=0$. Further properties on the limit measures obtained under a uniform control of the approximating energies are also provided.

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