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Francesco Solombrino

Publications and source records attributed to Francesco Solombrino.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Regularity of minimizers for free-discontinuity problems with $p(\cdot)$-growth

A regularity result for free-discontinuity energies defined on the space $SBV^{p(\cdot)}$ of special functions of bounded variation with variable exponent is proved, under the assumption of a log-Hölder continuity for the variable exponent $p(x)$. Our analysis expand on the regularity theory for minimizers of a class of free-discontinuity problems in the nonstandard growth case. This may be seen as a follow-up of the paper Fusco, Mingione and Trombetti (2001), dealing with a constant exponent.

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Optimal control problems in transport dynamics with additive noise

Motivated by the applications, a class of optimal control problems is investigated, where the goal is to influence the behavior of a given population through another controlled one interacting with the first. Diffusive terms accounting for randomness in the evolution are taken into account. A well-posedness theory under very low regularity of the control vector fields is developed, as well as a rigorous derivation from stochastic particle systems.

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Lower semicontinuity and relaxation for free discontinuity functionals with non-standard growth

A lower semicontinuity result and a relaxation formula for free discontinuity functionals with non-standard growth in the bulk energy are provided. Our analysis is based on a non-trivial adaptation of the blow-up (Ambrosio 1994) and of the global method for relaxation (Bouchitté et al. 1998) to the setting of generalized special function of bounded variation with Orlicz growth. Key tools developed in this paper are an integral representation result and a Poincaré inequality under non-standard growth.

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Non-local approximation of free-discontinuity problems in linear elasticity and application to stochastic homogenisation

We analyse the $Γ$-convergence of general non-local convolution type functionals with varying densities depending on the space variable and on the symmetrized gradient. The limit is a local free-discontinuity functional, where the bulk term can be completely characterized in terms of an asymptotic cell formula. From that, we can deduce an homogenisation result in the stochastic setting.

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Mean-field limits for entropic multi-population dynamical systems

The well-posedness of a multi-population dynamical system with an entropy regularization and its convergence to a suitable mean-field approximation are proved, under a general set of assumptions. Under further assumptions on the evolution of the labels, the case of different time scales between the agents' locations and labels dynamics is considered. The limit system couples a mean-field-type evolution in the space of positions and an instantaneous optimization of the payoff functional in the space of labels.

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Brittle membranes in finite elasticity

This work is devoted to the variational derivation of a reduced model for brittle membranes in finite elasticity. The main mathematical tools we develop for our analysis are: (i) a new density result in $GSBV^{p}$ of functions satisfying a maximal-rank constraint on the subgradients, which can be approximated by $C^{1}$-local immersions on regular subdomains of the cracked set, and (ii) the construction of recovery sequences by means of suitable $W^{1,\infty}$ diffeomorphisms mapping the regular subdomains onto the fractured configuration.

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On the wave equation on moving domains: regularity, energy balance and application to dynamic debonding

We revisit some issues about existence and regularity for the wave equation in noncylindrical domains. Using a method of diffeomorphisms, we show how, through increasing regularity assumptions, the existence of weak solutions, their improved regularity and an energy balance can be derived. As an application, we give a rigorous definition of dynamic energy release rate density for some problems of debonding, and we formulate a proper notion of solution for such problems. We discuss the consistence of such formulation with previous ones, given in literature for particular cases.

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Mean field sparse optimal control of systems with additive white noise

We analyze the problem of controlling a multi-agent system with additive white noise through parsimonious interventions on a selected subset of the agents (leaders). For such a controlled system with a SDE constraint, we introduce a rigorous limit process towards an infinite dimensional optimal control problem constrained by the coupling of a system of ODE for the leaders with a McKean-Vlasov-type SDE, governing the dynamics of the prototypical follower. The latter is, under some assumptions on the distribution of the initial data, equivalent with a (nonlinear parabolic) PDE-ODE system. The derivation of the limit mean-field optimal control problem is achieved by linking the mean-field limit of the governing equations together with the $Γ$-limit of the cost functionals for the finite dimensional problems.

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The notions of Inertial Balanced Viscosity and Inertial Virtual Viscosity solution for rate-independent systems

The notion of Inertial Balanced Viscosity (IBV) solution to rate-independent evolutionary processes is introduced. Such solutions are characterized by an energy balance where a suitable, rate-dependent, dissipation cost is optimized at jump times. The cost is reminiscent of the limit effect of small inertial terms. Therefore, this notion proves to be a suitable one to describe the asymptotic behavior of evolutions of mechanical systems with rate-independent dissipation in the limit of vanishing inertia and viscosity. It is indeed proved, in finite dimension, that these evolutions converge to IBV solutions. If the viscosity operator is neglected, or has a nontrivial kernel, the weaker notion of Inertial Virtual Viscosity (IVV) solutions is introduced, and the analogous convergence result holds. Again in a finite-dimensional context, it is also shown that IBV and IVV solutions can be obtained via a natural extension of the Minimizing Movements algorithm, where the limit effect of inertial terms is taken into account.

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Mean-field selective optimal control via transient leadership

A mean-field selective optimal control problem of multipopulation dynamics via transient leadership is considered. The agents in the system are described by their spatial position and their probability of belonging to a certain population. The dynamics in the control problem is characterized by the presence of an activation function which tunes the control on each agent according to the membership to a population, which, in turn, evolves according to a Markov-type jump process. This way, a hypothetical policy maker can select a restricted pool of agents to act upon based, for instance, on their time-dependent influence on the rest of the population. A finite-particle control problem is studied and its mean-field limit is identified via $Γ$-convergence, ensuring convergence of optimal controls. The dynamics of the mean-field optimal control is governed by a continuity-type equation without diffusion. Specific applications in the context of opinion dynamics are discussed with some numerical experiments.

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Non-local approximation of the Griffith functional

An approximation, in the sense of $Γ$-convergence and in any dimension $d\geq1$, of Griffith-type functionals, with $p-$growth ($p>1$) in the symmetrized gradient, is provided by means of a sequence of non-local integral functionals depending on the average of the symmetrized gradients on small balls.

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Radial solutions for a dynamic debonding model in dimension two

In this paper we deal with a debonding model for a thin film in dimension two, where the wave equation on a time-dependent domain is coupled with a flow rule (Griffith's principle) for the evolution of the domain. We propose a general definition of energy release rate, which is central in the formulation of Griffith's criterion. Next, by means of an existence result, we show that such definition is well posed in the special case of radial solutions, which allows us to employ representation formulas typical of one-dimensional models.

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Lower semicontinuity for functionals defined on piecewise rigid functions and on $GSBD$

In this work, we provide a characterization result for lower semicontinuity of surface energies defined on piecewise rigid functions, i.e., functions which are piecewise affine on a Caccioppoli partition where the derivative in each component is a skew symmetric matrix. This characterization is achieved by means of an integral condition, called $BD$-ellipticity, which is in the spirit of $BV$-ellipticity defined by Ambrosio and Braides. By specific examples we show that this novel concept is in fact stronger compared to its $BV$ analog. We further provide a sufficient condition implying $BD$-ellipticity which we call symmetric joint convexity. This notion can be checked explicitly for certain classes of surface energies which are relevant for applications, e.g., for variational fracture models. Finally, we give a direct proof that surface energies with symmetric jointly convex integrands are lower semicontinuous also on the larger space of $GSBD^p$ functions.

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$Γ$-convergence for free-discontinuity problems in linear elasticity: Homogenization and relaxation

We analyze the $Γ$-convergence of sequences of free-discontinuity functionals arising in the modeling of linear elastic solids with surface discontinuities, including phenomena as fracture, damage, or material voids. We prove compactness with respect to $Γ$-convergence and represent the $Γ$-limit in an integral form defined on the space of generalized special functions of bounded deformation ($GSBD^p$). We identify the integrands in terms of asymptotic cell formulas and prove a non-interaction property between bulk and surface contributions. Eventually, we investigate sequences of corresponding boundary value problems and show convergence of minimum values and minimizers. In particular, our techniques allow to characterize relaxations of functionals on $GSBD^p$, and cover the classical case of periodic homogenization.

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Integral representation for energies in linear elasticity with surface discontinuities

In this paper we prove an integral representation formula for a general class of energies defined on the space of generalized special functions of bounded deformation ($GSBD^p$) in arbitrary space dimensions. Functionals of this type naturally arise in the modeling of linear elastic solids with surface discontinuities including phenomena as fracture, damage, surface tension between different elastic phases, or material voids. Our approach is based on the global method for relaxation devised in Bouchittè et al. '98 and a recent Korn-type inequality in $GSBD^p$ (Cagnetti-Chambolle-Scardia '20). Our general strategy also allows to generalize integral representation results in $SBD^p$, obtained in dimension two (Conti-Focardi-Iurlano '16), to higher dimensions, and to revisit results in the framework of generalized special functions of bounded variation ($GSBV^p$).

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A derivation of Griffith functionals from discrete finite-difference models

We analyze a finite-difference approximation of a functional of Ambrosio-Tortorelli type in brittle fracture, in the discrete-to-continuum limit. In a suitable regime between the competing scales, namely if the discretization step $δ$ is smaller than the ellipticity parameter $\varepsilon$, we show the $Γ$-convergence of the model to the Griffith functional, containing only a term enforcing Dirichlet boundary conditions and no $L^p$ fidelity term. Restricting to two dimensions, we also address the case in which a (linearized) constraint of non-interpenetration of matter is added in the limit functional, in the spirit of a recent work by Chambolle, Conti and Francfort.

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An alternate Lagrangian scheme for spatially inhomogeneous evolutionary games

An alternate Lagrangian scheme at discrete times is proposed for the approximation of a nonlinear continuity equation arising as a mean-field limit of spatially inhomogeneous evolutionary games, describing the evolution of a system of spatially distributed agents with strategies, or labels, whose payoff depends also on the current position of the agents. The scheme is Lagrangian, as it traces the evolution of position and labels along characteristics and is alternate, as it consists of the following two steps: first the distribution of strategies or labels is updated according to a best performance criterion and then this is used by the agents to evolve their position. A general convergence result is provided in the space of probability measures. In the special cases of replicator-type systems and reversible Markov chains, variants of the scheme, where the explicit step in the evolution of the labels is replaced by an implicit one, are also considered and convergence results are provided.

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