On critical points of the relative fractional perimeter

We study the localization of sets with constant nonlocal mean curvature and prescribed small volume in a bounded open set, proving that they are sufficiently close to critical points of a suitable nonlocal potential. We then consider the fractional perimeter in half-spaces. We prove existence of minimizers under fixed volume constraint, and we show some properties such as smoothness and rotational symmetry.     

Existence and regularity of minimizers of a functional for unsupervised multiphase segmentation

We consider a variational model for image segmentation proposed in Sandberg et al. (2010) [12]. In such a model the image domain is partitioned into a finite collection of subsets denoted as phases. The segmentation is unsupervised, i.e., the model finds automatically an optimal number of phases, which are not required to be connected subsets. Unsupervised segmentation is obtained by minimizing a functional of the Mumford–Shah type (Mumford and Shah, 1989 [1]), but modifying the geometric part of the Mumford–Shah energy with the introduction of a suitable scale term. The results of computer experiments discussed in [12] show that the resulting variational model has several properties which are relevant for applications. In this paper we investigate the theoretical properties of the model. We study the existence of minimizers of the corresponding functional, first looking for a weak solution in a class of phases constituted by sets of finite perimeter. Then we find various regularity properties of such minimizers, particularly we study the structure of triple junctions by determining their optimal angles.     

Weak minimizers,minimizers and variational inequalities for set-valued functions. A blooming wreath?

Recently, necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of variational inequalities have been introduced to characterize minimizers of convex set-valued functions. Similar results have been proved for a weaker concept of minimizers and weaker variational inequalities. The implications are proved using scalarization techniques that eventually provide original problems, not fully equivalent to the set-valued counterparts. Therefore, we try, in the course of this note, to close the network among the various notions proposed. More specifically, we prove that a minimizer is always a weak minimizer, and a solution to the stronger variational inequality always also a solution to the weak variational inequality of the same type. As a special case, we obtain a complete characterization of efficiency and weak efficiency in vector optimization by set-valued variational inequalities and their scalarizations. Indeed, this might eventually prove the usefulness of the set optimization approach to renew the study of vector optimization.     

Characterization of energy minimizers in micromagnetics

We present a new characterization of minimizing sequences and possible minimizers (all called the minimizing magnetizations) for a nonlocal micromagnetic-like energy (without the exchange energy). Our method is to replace the nonlocal energy functional and its relaxation with certain local integral functionals on divergence-free fields obtained by a two-step minimization of some auxiliary augmented functionals. Through this procedure, the minimization problem becomes equivalent to the minimization of a new local variational functional, called the dual variational functional, which has a unique minimizer. We then precisely characterize the minimizing magnetizations of original nonlocal functionals in terms of the unique minimizer of the dual variational functional. Finally, we give some remarks and ideas on solving the dual minimization problem.     

Heteroclinic solutions of a van der Waals model with indefinite nonlocal interactions

We construct heteroclinic the global minimizers of a nonlocal free energy functional that van der Waals derived in 1893. We study the case where the nonlocality satisfies only a weakened type of ellipticity, which precludes the use of comparison methods. In the interesting case when the local part of the energy is nonconvex, we construct a classical the global minimizer by studying a relaxed functional corresponding to the convexification of the local part and exclude the possibility of minimizers of the relaxed functional having rapid oscillations. We also construct examples where the global minimizer is not monotonic.     

Symmetry and uniqueness of minimizers of Hartree type equations with external Coulomb potential

In the present article we study the radial symmetry and uniqueness of minimizers of the energy functional, corresponding to the repulsive Hartree equation in external Coulomb potential. To overcome the difficulties, resulting from the “bad” sign of the nonlocal term, we modify the reflection method and obtain symmetry and uniqueness results.     

Symmetry of minimizers for some nonlocal variational problems

We present a new approach to study the symmetry of minimizers for a large class of nonlocal variational problems. This approach which generalizes the Reflection method is based on the existence of some integral identities. We study the identities that lead to symmetry results, the functionals that can be considered and the function spaces that can be used. Then we use our method to prove the symmetry of minimizers for a class of variational problems involving the fractional powers of Laplacian, for the generalized Choquard functional and for the standing waves of the Davey-Stewartson equation.     

On an Isoperimetric Problem with a Competing Nonlocal Term I: The Planar Case

This paper is concerned with a study of the classical isoperimetric problem modified by an addition of a nonlocal repulsive term. We characterize existence, nonexistence, and radial symmetry of the minimizers as a function of mass in the situation where the nonlocal term is generated by a kernel given by an inverse power of the distance. We prove that minimizers of this problem exist for sufficiently small masses and are given by disks with prescribed mass below a certain threshold when the interfacial term in the energy is dominant. At the same time, we prove that minimizers fail to exist for sufficiently large masses due to the tendency of the low‐energy configuration to split into smaller pieces when the nonlocal term in the energy is dominant. In the latter regime, we also establish linear scaling of energy with mass, suggesting that for large masses low‐energy configurations consist of many roughly equal‐size pieces far apart. In the case of slowly decaying kernels, we give a complete characterization of the minimizers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Existence of minimizers of the Mumford-Shah functional with singular operators and unbounded data

We consider the regularization of linear inverse problems by means of the minimization of a functional formed by a term of discrepancy to data and a Mumford-Shah functional term. The discrepancy term penalizes the L ² distance between a datum and a version of the unknown function which is filtered by means of a non-invertible linear operator. Depending on the type of the involved operator, the resulting variational problem has had several applications: image deblurring, or inverse source problems in the case of compact operators, and image inpainting in the case of suitable local operators, as well as the modeling of propagation of fracture. We present counterexamples showing that, despite this regularization, the problem is actually in general ill-posed. We provide, however, existence results of minimizers in a reasonable class of smooth functions out of piecewise Lipschitz discontinuity sets in two dimensions. The compactness arguments we developed to derive the existence results stem from geometrical and regularity properties of domains, interpolation inequalities, and classical compactness arguments in Sobolev spaces.     

Variational methods for a singular SPDE yielding the universality of the magnetization ripple

The magnetization ripple is a microstructure formed in thin ferromagnetic films. It can be described by minimizers of a nonconvex energy functional leading to a nonlocal and nonlinear elliptic SPDE in two dimensions driven by white noise, which is singular. We address the universal character of the magnetization ripple using variational methods based on Γ-convergence. Due to the infinite energy of the system, the (random) energy functional has to be renormalized. Using the topology of Γ-convergence, we give a sense to the law of the renormalized functional that is independent of the way white noise is approximated. More precisely, this universality holds in the class of (not necessarily Gaussian) approximations to white noise satisfying the spectral gap inequality, which allows us to obtain sharp stochastic estimates. As a corollary, we obtain the existence of minimizers with optimal regularity.     

Reflexivity and Ring Homomorphisms of Finite Flat Dimension

In this article we present a systematic study of the reflexivity properties of homologically finite complexes with respect to semidualizing complexes in the setting of nonlocal rings. One primary focus is the descent of these properties over ring homomorphisms of finite flat dimension, presented in terms of inequalities between generalized G-dimensions. Most of these results are new even when the ring homomorphism is local. The main tool for these analyses is a nonlocal version of the amplitude inequality of Iversen, Foxby, and Iyengar. We provide numerous examples demonstrating the need for certain hypotheses and the strictness of many inequalities.     

Anisotropic Chan–Vese segmentation

In this paper we study a variant to Chan–Vese (CV) segmentation model with rectilinear anisotropy. We show existence of minimizers in the 2-phases case and how they are related to the (anisotropic) Rudin–Osher–Fatemi (ROF) denoising model. Our analysis shows that in the natural case of a piecewise constant on rectangles image ($\mathrm{PCR}$ function in short), there exists a minimizer of the CV functional which is also piecewise constant on rectangles over the same grid that the one defined by the original image. In the multiphase case, we show that minimizers of the CV multiphase functional also share this property in the case that the initial image is a $\mathrm{PCR}$ function. We also investigate a multiphase and anisotropic version of the Truncated ROF algorithm, and we compare the solutions given by this algorithm with minimizers of the multiphase anisotropic CV functional.     

On The Existence of a Countable Set of Positive Solutions for a Nonlocal Boundary-Value Problem with Vector-Valued Response

ABSTRACT

The existence of a countable set of positive solutions for a nonlocal boundary-value problem with vector-valued response is investigated by some variational methods based on the idea of the Fenchel conjugate. As a consequence of a duality developed here, we obtain the existence of a countable set of solutions for our problem that are minimizers to a certain integral functional. We derive (also in the superlinear case) a measure of a duality gap between primal and dual functional for approximate solutions.     

Fractional Piola identity and polyconvexity in fractional spaces

In this paper we address nonlocal vector variational principles obtained by substitution of the classical gradient by the Riesz fractional gradient. We show the existence of minimizers in Bessel fractional spaces under the main assumption of polyconvexity of the energy density, and, as a consequence, the existence of solutions to the associated Euler–Lagrange system of nonlinear fractional PDE. The main ingredient is the fractional Piola identity, which establishes that the fractional divergence of the cofactor matrix of the fractional gradient vanishes. This identity implies the weak convergence of the determinant of the fractional gradient, and, in turn, the existence of minimizers of the nonlocal energy. Contrary to local problems in nonlinear elasticity, this existence result is compatible with solutions presenting discontinuities at points and along hypersurfaces.     

Existence and approximated results of solutions for a class of nonlocal elliptic variational-hemivariational inequalities

In this paper, we consider the regularization of a class of elliptic variational-hemivariational inequalities driven by the fractional Laplace operator. First, we demonstrate characterizations of nonlocal elliptic variational-hemivariational inequalities. Next, we provide coercivity conditions that guarantee the existence and uniqueness of solution. Finally, by virtue of the so-called Browder–Tikhonov regularization method, we introduce a strongly convergent approximation procedure for the considered nonlocal problems considered without any coercivity condition.     

On Equilibrium Shape of Charged Flat Drops

The equilibrium shapes of two‐dimensional charged, perfectly conducting liquid drops are governed by a geometric variational problem that involves a perimeter term modeling line tension and a capacitary term modeling Coulombic repulsion. Here we give a complete explicit solution to this variational problem. Namely, we show that at fixed total charge a ball of a particular radius is the unique global minimizer among all sufficiently regular sets in the plane. For sets whose area is also fixed, we show that balls are the only minimizers if the charge is less than or equal to a critical charge, while for larger charge minimizers do not exist. Analogous results hold for drops whose potential, rather than charge, is fixed. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Global minimizers for the doubly-constrained Helfrich energy: the axisymmetric case

Since the pioneering work of Canham and Helfrich, variational formulations involving curvature-dependent functionals, like the classical Willmore functional, have proven useful for shape analysis of biomembranes. We address minimizers of the Canham–Helfrich functional defined over closed surfaces enclosing a fixed volume and having fixed surface area. By restricting attention to axisymmetric surfaces, we prove the existence of global minimizers.     

A Nonlocal Total Variation Model for Image Decomposition: Illumination and Reflectance

In this paper, we study to use nonlocal bounded variation (NLBV) techniques to decompose an image intensity into the illumination and reflectance components. By considering spatial smoothness of the illumination component and nonlocal total variation (NLTV) of the reflectance component in the decomposition framework, an energy functional is constructed. We establish the theoretical results of the space of NLBV functions such as lower semicontinuity, approximation and compactness. These essential properties of NLBV functions are important tools to show the existence of solution of the proposed energy functional. Experimental results on both grey-level and color images are shown to illustrate the usefulness of the nonlocal total variation image decomposition model, and demonstrate the performance of the proposed method is better than the other testing methods.     

A gradient bound for the Grad-Kruskal-Kulsrud functional

We establish the existence of minimizers with a bounded gradient for a variational problem arising in the Grad-Kruskal-Kulsrud model for the equilibrium of a confined plasma. The variational problem involves derivatives of the nondecreasing rearrangement of minimizers. Results are derived for bounded convex domains in R ². Our results answer in the negative (in the case of convex domains) a question raised by Grad concerning the possibility of singular behavior of the magnetic field at the point of maximum flux. The main approach is to use an approximating free boundary problem to handle the nonlinear nonlocal nature of the variational functional. Limiting minimizers of the variational problem are shown to have bounded gradient and to satisfy a weak equation that for one model problem takes the form where ψ*, μ_ψ are, respectively, the nondecreasing rearrangement and the distribution function of ψ. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Almost minimizers of the one-phase free boundary problem

Abstract

We consider almost minimizers to the one-phase energy functional and we prove their optimal Lipschitz regularity and partial regularity of their free boundary. These results were recently obtained by David and Toro, and David, Engelstein, and Toro. Our proofs provide a different method based on a non-infinitesimal notion of viscosity solutions that we introduced.