arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Bozhidar Velichkov.
We propose a new method for the numerical computation of the cut locus of a compact submanifold of $\mathbb{R}^3$ without boundary. This method is based on a convex variational problem with conic constraints, with proven convergence. We illustrate the versatility of our approach by the approximation of Voronoi cells on embedded surfaces of $\mathbb{R}^3$.
We study a family of gradient obstacle problems on a compact Riemannian manifold. We prove that the solutions of these free boundary problems are uniformly semiconcave and, as a consequence, we obtain some fine convergence results for the solutions and their free boundaries. Precisely, we show that the elastic and the $λ$-elastic sets of the solutions Hausdorff converge to the cut locus and the $λ$-cut locus of the manifold.
We prove a regularity theorem for the free boundary of minimizers of the two-phase Bernoulli problem, completing the analysis started by Alt, Caffarelli and Friedman in the 80s. As a consequence, we also show regularity of minimizers of the multiphase spectral optimization problem for the principal eigenvalue of the Dirichlet Laplacian.
In this paper we prove uniqueness of blow-ups and $C^{1,\log}$-regularity for the free-boundary of minimizers of the Alt-Caffarelli functional at points where one blow-up has an isolated singularity. We do this by establishing a (log-)epiperimetric inequality for the Weiss energy for traces close to that of a cone with isolated singularity, whose free-boundary is graphical and smooth over that of the cone in the sphere. With additional assumptions on the cone, we can prove a classical epiperimetric inequality which can be applied to deduce a $C^{1,α}$ regularity result. We also show that these additional assumptions are satisfied by the De Silva-Jerison-type cones, which are the only known examples of minimizing cones with isolated singularity. Our approach draws a connection between epiperimetric inequalities and the Łojasiewicz inequality, and, to our knowledge, provides the first regularity result at singular points in the one-phase Bernoulli problem.
We answer a question left open in [Arch. Rat. Mech. Anal. 230 (1) (2018), 125-184] and [Arch. Rat. Mech. Anal. 230 (2) (2018), 783-784], by proving that the blow-up limit of minimizers $u$ of the lower dimensional obstacle problem is unique at generic point of the free-boundary.
This paper is devoted to the study of shape optimization problems for the first eigenvalue of the elliptic operator with drift L = --$Δ$+V (x)\cdot \nabla with Dirichlet boundary conditions, where V is a bounded vector field. In the first instance, we prove the existence of a principal eigenvalue $λ$\_1($Ω$, V) for a bounded quasi-open set $Ω$ which enjoys similar properties to the case of open sets. Then, given m > 0 and $τ$ $\ge$ 0, we show that the minimum of the following non-variational problem min $λ$\_1($Ω$, V) : $Ω$ $\subset$ D quasi-open, |$Ω$| $\le$ m, |V|\_{\infty} $\le$ $τ$. is achieved, where the box D $\subset$ R^d is a bounded open set. The existence when V is fixed, as well as when V varies among all the vector fields which are the gradient of a Lipschitz function, are also proved. The second interest and main result of this paper is the regularity of the optimal shape $Ω$ * solving the minimization problem min $λ$\_1($Ω$, $Φ$) : $Ω$ $\subset$ D quasi-open, |$Ω$| $\le$ m , where $Φ$ is a given Lipschitz function on D. We prove that the topological boundary $\partial$$Ω$ * is composed of a regular part which is locally the graph of a C ^{1,$α$} function and a singular part which is empty if d < d * , discrete if d = d * and of locally finite H^{d--d *} Hausdorff measure if d > d * , where d * $\in$ {5, 6, 7} is the smallest dimension at which there exists a global solution to the one-phase free boundary problem with singularities. Moreover, if D is smooth, we prove that, for each x $\in$ $\partial$$Ω$ * $\cap$ $\partial$D, $\partial$$Ω$ * is C^{ 1,$α$} in a neighborhood of x, for some $α$ $\le$ 1 /2. This last result is optimal in the sense that C ^{1,1/2} is the best regularity that one can expect.
In this paper we prove a $C^{1,α}$ regularity result in dimension two for almost-minimizers of the constrained one-phase Alt-Caffarelli and the two-phase Alt-Caffarelli-Friedman functionals for an energy with variable coefficients. As a consequence, we deduce the complete regularity of solutions of a multiphase shape optimization problem for the first eigenvalue of the Dirichlet-Laplacian up to the fixed boundary. One of the main ingredient is a new application of the epiperimetric-inequality of Spolaor-Velichkov [CPAM, 2018] up to the boundary. While the framework that leads to this application is valid in every dimension, the epiperimetric inequality is known only in dimension two, thus the restriction on the dimension.
We consider various versions of the obstacle and thin-obstacle problems, we interpret them as variational inequalities, with non-smooth constraint, and prove that they satisfy a new constrained Lojasiewicz inequality. The difficulty lies in the fact that, since the constraint is non-analytic, the pioneering method of L. Simon (Ann. of Math. 118(3), 1983) does not apply and we have to exploit a better understanding on the constraint itself. We then apply this inequality to two associated problems. First we combine it with an abstract result on parabolic variational inequalities, to prove the convergence at infinity of the strong global solutions to the parabolic obstacle and thin-obstacle problems to a unique stationary solution with a rate. Secondly, we give an abstract proof, based on a parabolic approach, of the epiperimetric inequality, which we then apply to the singular points of the obstacle and thin-obstacle problems.
In this paper we study the regularity of the free boundary for a vector-valued Bernoulli problem, with no sign assumptions on the boundary data. More precisely, given an open, smooth set of finite measure $D\subset \mathbb{R}^d$, $Λ>0$ and $φ_i\in H^{1/2}(\partial D)$, we deal with \[ \min{\left\{\sum_{i=1}^k\int_D|\nabla v_i|^2+Λ\Big|\bigcup_{i=1}^k\{v_i\not=0\}\Big|\;:\;v_i=φ_i\;\mbox{on }\partial D\right\}}. \] We prove that, for any optimal vector $U=(u_1,\dots, u_k)$, the free boundary $\partial (\cup_{i=1}^k\{u_i\not=0\})\cap D$ is made of a regular part, which is relatively open and locally the graph of a $C^\infty$ function, a singular part, which is relatively closed and has Hausdorff dimension at most $d-d^*$, for a $d^*\in\{5,6,7\}$ and by a set of branching (two-phase) points, which is relatively closed and of finite $\mathcal{H}^{d-1}$ measure. Our arguments are based on the NTA structure of the regular part of the free boundary.
We prove a new logarithmic epiperimetric inequality for multiplicity-one stationary cones with isolated singularity by flowing in the radial direction any given trace along appropriately chosen directions. In contrast to previous epiperimetric inequalities for minimal surfaces (e.g. those of Reifenberg, Taylor and White), we need no a priori assumptions on the structure of the cone (e.g. integrability). Moreover, if the cone is integrable (not only through rotations), we recover the classical epiperimetric inequality. As a consequence we deduce a new $\varepsilon$-regularity result for almost area-minimizing currents at singular points, where at least one blow-up is a multiplicity-one cone with isolated singularity. This result is similar to the one for stationary varifolds of Leon Simon, but independent from it since almost minimizers do not satisfy any equation.
We consider optimal control problems where the state equation is an elliptic PDE of a Schrödinger type, governed by the Laplace operator $-Δ$ with the addition of a potential V, and the control is the potential V itself, that may vary in a suitable admissible class. In a previous paper (Ref. [7]) an existence result was established under a monotonicity assumption on the cost functional, which occurs if the data do not change sign. In the present paper this sign assumption is removed and the existence of an optimal potential is still valid. Several numerical simulations, made by FreeFem++, are shown
For the thin obstacle problem, we prove by a new direct method that in any dimension the Weiss' energies with frequency $\frac32$ and $2m$, for $m\in \mathbb N$, satisfy an epiperimetric inequality, in the latter case of logarithmic type. In particular, at difference from the classical statements, we do not assume any a priori closeness to a special class of homogeneous functions. In dimension $2$, we also prove the epiperimetric inequality at any free boundary point. As a first application, we improve the set of admissible frequencies for blow ups, previously known to be $λ\in \{\frac32\} \cup [2,\infty)$, and we classify the global $λ$-homogeneous minimizers, with $λ\in [\frac32,2+c]\cup\bigcup_{m\in \mathbb N}(2m-c_m^-,2m+c_m^+)$, showing as a consequence that the frequencies $\frac32$ and $2m$ are isolated. Secondly, we give a short and self-contained proof of the regularity of the free boundary previously obtained by Athanasopoulos-Caffarelli-Salsa (Amer. J. Math., 130(2) (2008), 485-498) for regular points and Garofalo-Petrosyan (Invent. Math., 177(2) (2009), 415-461) for singular points, by means of an epiperimetric inequality of logarithmic type which applies for the first time also at all singular points of thin-obstacle free boundaries. In particular we improve the $C^1$ regularity of the singular set with frequency $2m$ by an explicit logarithmic modulus of continuity.
For the general obstacle problem, we prove by direct methods an epiperimetric inequality at regular and singular points, thus answering a question of Weiss (Invent. Math., 138 (1999), 23--50). In particular at singular points we introduce a new tool, which we call logarithmic epiperimetric inequality, which yields an explicit logarithmic modulus of continuity on the $C^1$ regularity of the singular set, thus improving previous results of Caffarelli and Monneau.
In this paper we consider a shape optimization problem in which the data in the cost functional and in the state equation may change sign, and so no monotonicity assumption is satisfied. Nevertheless, we are able to prove that an optimal domain exists. We also deduce some necessary conditions of optimality for the optimal domain. The results are applied to show the existence of an optimal domain in the case where the cost functional is completely identified, while the right-hand side in the state equation is only known up to a probability P in the space $L^2$.
We prove that the planar hexagonal honeycomb is asymptotically optimal for a large class of optimal partition problems, in which the cells are assumed to be convex, and the criterion is to minimize either the sum or the maximum among the energies of the cells, the cost being a shape functional $F$ which satisfies a few assumptions. They are: monotonicity under inclusions; homogeneity under dilations; a Faber-Krahn inequality for convex hexagons; a convexity-type inequality for the map which associates with every $n \in \mathbb{N}$ the minimizers of $F$ among convex $n$-gons with given area. In particular, our result allows to obtain the honeycomb conjecture for the Cheeger constant and for the logarithmic capacity (still assuming the cells to be convex). Moreover we show that, in order to get the conjecture also for the first Dirichlet eigenvalue of the Laplacian, it is sufficient to establish some facts about the behaviour of $λ_1$ among convex pentagons, hexagons, and heptagons with prescribed area.
Using a direct approach, we prove a $2$-dimensional epiperimetric inequality for the one-phase problem in the scalar and vectorial cases and for the double-phase problem. From this we deduce, in dimension $2$, the $C^{1,α}$ regularity of the free-boundary in the scalar one-phase and double-phase problems, and of the reduced free-boundary in the vectorial case, without any restriction on the sign of the component functions. Furthermore we show that in the vectorial case the free boundary can end in a cusp.
In this paper we study the regularity of the optimal sets for the shape optimization problem \[ \min\Big\{λ_1(Ω)+\dots+λ_k(Ω)\ :\ Ω\subset\mathbb{R}^d,\ \text{open}\ ,\ |Ω|=1\Big\}, \] where $λ_1(\cdot),\dots,λ_k(\cdot)$ denote the eigenvalues of the Dirichlet Laplacian and $|\cdot|$ the $d$-dimensional Lebesgue measure. We prove that the topological boundary of a minimizer $Ω_k^*$ is composed of a relatively open regular part which is locally a graph of a $C^{1,α}$ function and a closed singular part, which is empty if $d d^*$, where the natural number $d^*\in[5,7]$ is the smallest dimension at which minimizing one-phase free boundaries admit singularities. To achieve our goal, as an auxiliary result, we shall extend for the first time the known regularity theory for the one-phase free boundary problem to the vector-valued case.
We prove existence and regularity of optimal shapes for the problem$$\min\Big\{P(Ω)+\mathcal{G}(Ω):\ Ω\subset D,\ |Ω|=m\Big\},$$where $P$ denotes the perimeter, $|\cdot|$ is the volume, and the functional $\mathcal{G}$ is either one of the following:\textless{}ul\textgreater{}\textless{}li\textgreater{} the Dirichlet energy $E\_f$, with respect to a (possibly sign-changing) function $f\in L^p$;\textless{}/li\textgreater{}\textless{}li\textgreater{}a spectral functional of the form $F(λ\_{1},\dots,λ\_{k})$, where $λ\_k$ is the $k$th eigenvalue of the Dirichlet Laplacian and $F:\mathbb{R}^k\to\mathbb{R}$ is Lipschitz continuous and increasing in each variable.\textless{}/li\textgreater{}\textless{}/ul\textgreater{}The domain $D$ is the whole space $\mathbb{R}^d$ or a bounded domain. We also give general assumptions on the functional $\mathcal{G}$ so that the result remains valid.