Fractional multi-phase transitions and nonlocal minimal partitions

TL;DR

This paper investigates nonlocal phase transition models, analyzing the asymptotic behavior of fractional elliptic equations and the regularity of their geometric limits, revealing complex surface tension effects in multi-phase partitions.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed asymptotic analysis of fractional elliptic phase transition models and explores the regularity of nonlocal minimal partitions with generalized surface tensions.

Findings

Solutions converge to nonlocal geometric energy critical points

Regularity results for solutions in minimizing and non-minimizing cases

Analysis of three-partitions with generalized surface tension coefficients

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of certain models for phase transitions involving nonlocal energies. A first part is concerned with to the asymptotic analysis of a system of fractional elliptic equations of Allen-Cahn type as a characteristic small parameter tends to zero. It is shown that solutions converge to critical points of a nonlocal geometric energy defined over a class of partitions of the domain. A regularity analysis for solutions of the geometric problem is also performed, in the minimizing and non minimizing case. The limiting geometric problem involves generalized surface tension coefficients which might not satisfy the usual triangular inequality. A more detailed regularity analysis for minimizers is performed for 3-partitions, in particular in the case where one triangular inequality strictly holds in the reverse sense.