On the uniqueness of minimizing harmonic maps to a closed hemisphere

We study the uniqueness of minimizing harmonic maps to a closed hemisphere. We are able to describe the boundary data for which there are more than one minimizer, and to describe in these cases the corresponding set of minimizers. This is a limiting case for a former result of W.Jäger and H.Kaul.This article was processed by the author using the Springer-Verlag T_EX PJourlg macro package 1991.     

Symmetric boundary values for the Dirichlet problem for harmonic maps from the disc into the 2-sphere

Let Aut(D) denote the group of biholomorphic diffeormorphisms from the unit disc D onto itself and O(3) the group of orthogonal transformations of the unit sphere S ². The existence of multiple solutions to the Dirichlet problem for harmonic maps from D into S ² is related to the symmetries (if any) of the boundary value γ : ∂D → S ², by invariance of the Dirichlet energy under the action of Aut(D) × O(3). In this paper, we classify the stabilizers in Aut(D) × O(3) of boundary values in H ^1/2(S ¹, S ²) and . We give two applications to the Dirichlet problem for harmonic maps. This work was partially supported by the CMLA, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Cachan, France.     

Harmonic maps with potential

Let (M,g) and (N,h) be two Riemannian manifolds, and G:N →ℝ a given function. If f:M → N is a smooth map, we set E _G (f)=12 ∫_M [∣df∣²− 2G(f)]dv _g. We establish some variational properties and some existence results for the functional E _G (f): in particular, we analyse the case of maps into a sphere. Received April 29, 1996 / Accepted May 28, 1996     

The regularity problem for generalized harmonic maps into homogeneous spaces

Let be a Riemannian surface and be a standard sphere, or more generally a Riemannian manifold on which a Lie group,, acts transitively by isometries. We define generalized harmonic maps by extending the notion of weakly harmonic maps in a natural way (motivated by Noether's Theorem), to mapsu W _loc ^1,1 (, ). We prove that, under some slight technical restrictions, for 1 <-p < 2, there are generalized harmonic mapsu W ^1,p(, ) that are everywhere discontinuous (in particular, this solves an open problem proposed by F. Bethuel, H. Brezis and F. Hélein, in [BBH]). We also show that the natural -regularity condition for such maps is to require <u to belong to the Lorentz space L(2, ). To prove this -regularity result we extend a compensated compactness result of R. Coifman, P.-L. Lions, Y. Meyer and S. Semmes, proved in [CLMS], to the case of Lorentz spaces in duality.     

Generalized minimizing movements for the mean curvature flow with Dirichlet boundary condition

We study a variational approach, called Generalized Minimizing Movemenents (GMM) and proposed by E. De Giorgi, to evolution of hypersurfaces by mean curvature in the case of a Dirichlet boundary datum. We prove an existence theorem of a GMM when on the initial solid are made suitable geometric hypotheses.

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Sunto Si studia un approccio variazionale, detto Movimenti Minimizzanti Generalizzati (GMM) e proposto da Ennio De Giorgi, per l’evoluzione di una ipersuperficie secondo la curvatura media con un dato al bordo di tipo Dirichlet. Viene provato un teorema di esistenza quando sul solido iniziale siano fatte opportune ipotesi di tipo geometrico.

     

Properties of positive harmonic functions on the half-space with a nonlinear boundary condition

In this paper we study existence and properties of solutions of the problem Δw=0 on the half-space with nonlinear boundary condition ∂w/∂η+w=|w|^p−2w where 2<p<2(N−1)/(N−2) and N?3. We obtain a ground state solution w=w(x₁,…,xN−1,t) which is radial and has exponential decay in the first N−1 variables. Moreover, w has sharp polynomial decay in the variable t.     

Strict feasibility and stable solvability of bifunction variational inequalities

In this paper, we study strict feasibility of a bifunction variational inequality. It is proved that a monotone bifunction variational inequality has a nonempty and bounded solution set if and only if it is strictly feasible. Stable solvability of the bifunction variational inequality is discussed under strict feasibility assumption when the domain set is perturbed. Our results generalize earlier results on the classical variational inequality to the case of the bifunction variational inequality.     

Complex Ginzburg-Landau equations in high dimensions and codimension two area minimizing currents

There is an obvious topological obstruction for a finite energy unimodular harmonic extension of a S ¹-valued function defined on the boundary of a bounded regular domain of R ⁿ . When such extensions do not exist, we use the Ginzburg-Landau relaxation procedure. We prove that, up to a subsequence, a sequence of Ginzburg-Landau minimizers, as the coupling parameter tends to infinity, converges to a unimodular harmonic map away from a codimension-2 minimal current minimizing the area within the homology class induced from the S ¹-valued boundary data. The union of this harmonic map and the minimal current is the natural generalization of the harmonic extension. Received December 3, 1998 / final version received May 10, 1999     

The Landau-Lifshitz equation of the ferromagnetic spin chain and harmonic maps

We prove a global existence of solutions for the Landau-Lifshitz equation of the ferromagnetic spin chain from am-dimensional manifoldM into the unit sphereS ² of ³ and establish some new links between harmonic maps and the solutions of the Landau-Lifshitz equation.     

Existence results for semilinear elliptic variational inequalities with changing sign nonlinearities

In this paper we present some existence results for a class of semilinear elliptic variational inequalities, depending on a real parameter λ, with changing sign nonlinearities. The fundamental tool to prove the existence result is a penalization method combined with the Mountain Pass Theorem and the Linking Theorem, respectively in the case λ < λ ₁ and λ ≥ λ ₁, where λ₁ is the first eigenvalue of the uniformly elliptic operator A involved in the variational inequality.     

A minimum problem with free boundary in Orlicz spaces

We consider the optimization problem of minimizing in the class of functions W1,G(Ω) with , for a given φ₀?0 and bounded. W1,G(Ω) is the class of weakly differentiable functions with . The conditions on the function G allow for a different behavior at 0 and at ∞. We prove that every solution u is locally Lipschitz continuous, that it is a solution to a free boundary problem and that the free boundary, Ω∩∂{u>0}, is a regular surface. Also, we introduce the notion of weak solution to the free boundary problem solved by the minimizers and prove the Lipschitz regularity of the weak solutions and the C1,α regularity of their free boundaries near “flat” free boundary points.     

On weakly harmonic maps from Finsler to Riemannian manifolds

We prove global C0,α$C^{0,\alpha }$-estimates for harmonic maps from Finsler manifolds into regular balls of Riemannian target manifolds generalizing results of Giaquinta, Hildebrandt, and Hildebrandt, Jost and Widman from Riemannian to Finsler domains. As consequences we obtain a Liouville theorem for entire harmonic maps on simple Finsler manifolds, and an existence theorem for harmonic maps from Finsler manifolds into regular balls of a Riemannian target.     

Periodic orbits on Riemannian manifolds under the action of an at most quadratic potential

In this paper we look for periodic orbits for a Lagrangian system in a complete Riemannian manifold under the action of an eventually unbounded potential. An upper bound on the fixed period is obtained by means of variational tools involving penalization arguments and Morse theory.     

Multiplicity of critical points in presence of a linking: application to a superlinear boundary value problem

We consider a general nonlinear elliptic problem of the second order whose associated functional presents two linking structures and we prove the existence of three nontrivial solutions to the problem.     

Constructions of harmonic polynomial maps between spheres

The complexity of _q -eigenmaps, i.e. homogeneous degreeq harmonic polynomial mapsf:S ^m S ⁿ, increases fast with the degreeq and the source dimensionm. Here we introduce a variety of methods of manufacturing new eigenmaps out of old ones. They include degree and source dimension raising operators. As a byproduct, we get estimates on the possible range dimensions of full eigenmaps and obtain a geometric insight of the harmonic product of ₂-eigenmaps.     

Existence results for semilinear elliptical hemivariational inequalities

We are interested in studying the existence of solutions to an elliptical hemivariational inequality, depending on a real parameter λ$\lambda$. The main tool in the proof of our results is a critical point theorem recently established. We obtain the existence of solution through a direct method, both with a changing sign nonlinearity of the kind p(x)f(ξ)$p\left(x\right)f\left(\xi \right)$ and in the classical one P(x,ξ)$P(x,\xi )$ too.     

Critical points for nondifferentiable functions in presence of splitting

A classical critical point theorem in presence of splitting established by Brézis-Nirenberg is extended to functionals which are the sum of a locally Lipschitz continuous term and of a convex, proper, lower semicontinuous function. The obtained result is then exploited to prove a multiplicity theorem for a family of elliptic variational-hemivariational eigenvalue problems.     

Non-differentiable functionals and applications to elliptic problems with discontinuous nonlinearities

Multiple critical points theorems for non-differentiable functionals are established. Applications both to elliptic variational-hemivariational inequalities and eigenvalue problems with discontinuous nonlinearities are then presented.     

Symbolic calculus for boundary value problems on manifolds with edges

Boundary value problems for (pseudo-) differential operators on a manifold with edges can be characterised by a hierarchy of symbols. The symbolic structure is responsible for ellipticity and for the nature of parametrices within an algebra of “edge-degenerate” pseudo-differential operators. The edge symbolic component of that hierarchy takes values in boundary value problems on an infinite model cone, with edge variables and covariables as parameters. Edge symbols play a crucial role in this theory, in particular, the contribution with holomorphic operator-valued Mellin symbols. We establish a calculus in a framework of “twisted homogeneity” that refers to strongly continuous groups of isomorphisms on weighted cone Sobolev spaces. We then derive an equivalent representation with a particularly transparent composition behaviour.