Symmetry breaking and pattern formation for functionals with competing interactions

Sara Daneri (Gran Sasso Science Institute)

27-Sep-2022, 16:00-17:00 (18 months ago)

Abstract: In this talk we will review some recent results we obtained on the one-dimensionality of the minimizers of a family of continuous local/nonlocal interaction functionals in general dimension. Such functionals have a local term, typically the perimeter or its Modica-Mortola approximation, which penalizes interfaces, and a nonlocal term favouring oscillations which are high in frequency and in amplitude. The competition between the two terms is expected by experiments and simulations to give rise to periodic patterns at equilibrium. Functionals of this type are used  to model pattern formation, either in material science or in biology. The difficulty in proving the emergence of such structures is due to the fact that the functionals are symmetric with respect to permutation of coordinates, while in more than one space dimensions minimizers are one-dimensional, thus losing the symmetry property of the functionals. We will present new techniques and results showing that for two classes of functionals (used to model generalized anti-ferromagnetic systems, respectively  colloidal suspensions), both in sharp interface and in diffuse interface models, minimizers are one-dimensional and periodic, in general dimension and also while imposing a nontrivial volume constraint. The results are contained in a series of joint works with Eris Runa and Alicja Kerschbaum.

mathematical physicsanalysis of PDEsoptimization and control

Audience: researchers in the topic


Online Seminar "Geometric Analysis"

Series comments: We discuss recent trends related to geometric analysis in a broad sense. The general idea is to solve geometric problems by means of advanced tools in analysis. We will include a wide range of topics such as geometric flows, curvature functionals, discrete differential geometry, and numerical simulation.

Registration and links to videos available at blatt.sbg.ac.at/onlineseminar.php

Organizers: Simon Blatt*, Philipp Reiter*, Armin Schikorra*, Guofang Wang
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