Locally isoperimetric partitions

Abstract

Locally isoperimetric $N$-partitions are partitions of the space $\mathbb R^d$ into $N$ regions with prescribed, finite or infinite measure, which have minimal perimeter (which is the $(d-1)$-dimensional measure of the interfaces between the regions) among all variations with compact support preserving the total measure of each region. In the case when only one region has infinite measure, the problem reduces to the well known problem of isoperimetric clusters: in this case the minimal perimeter is finite, and variations are not required to have compact support. In a recent paper by Alama, Bronsard and Vriend, the definition of isoperimetric partition was introduced, and an example, namely the \emph{lens} partition, was shown to be locally isoperimetric in the plane. In the present paper we are able to give more examples of isoperimetric partitions: in any dimension $d\ge 2$ we have the \emph{lens}, the \emph{peanut} and the \emph{Releaux} triangle. For $d\ge 3$ we also have a \emph{thetrahedral} partition. To obtain these results we prove a \emph{closure} theorem which enables us to state that the $L^1_{loc}$-limit of a sequence of isoperimetric clusters is an isoperimetric partition, if the limit partition is composed by \emph{flat} interfaces outside a large ball. In this way we can make use of the known results about standard clusters. In the planar case $d=2$ we have a complete understanding of locally isoperimetric partitions: they exist if and only if the number of regions with infinite area is at most three. Moreover if the total number of regions is at most four then, up to isometries, there is a unique locally isoperimetric partition which is the lens, the peanut or the Releaux partition already mentioned.