Andrea Braides - Böcker

The object of homogenization theory is the description of the macroscopic properties of structures with fine microstructure, covering a wide range of applications that run from the study of properties of composites to optimal design. The structures under consideration may model cellular elastic materials, fibred materials, stratified or porous media, or materials with many holes or cracks. In mathematical terms, this study can be translated in the asymptotic analysis of fast-oscillating differential equations or integral functionals. The book presents an introduction to the mathematical theory of homogenization of nonlinear integral functionals, with particular regard to those general results that do not rely on smoothness or convexity assumptions. Homogenization results and appropriate descriptive formulas are given for periodic and almost- periodic functionals. The applications include the asymptotic behaviour of oscillating energies describing cellular hyperelastic materials, porous media, materials with stiff and soft inclusions, fibered media, homogenization of HamiltonJacobi equations and Riemannian metrics, materials with multiple scales of microstructure and with multi-dimensional structure. The book includes a specifically designed, self-contained and up-to-date introduction to the relevant results of the direct methods of Gamma-convergence and of the theory of weak lower semicontinuous integral functionals depending on vector-valued functions. The book is based on various courses taught at the advanced graduate level. Prerequisites are a basic knowledge of Sobolev spaces, standard functional analysis and measure theory. The presentation is completed by several examples and exercises.

The theory of Gamma-convergence is commonly recognized as an ideal and flexible tool for the description of the asymptotic behaviour of variational problems. Its applications range from the mathematical analysis of composites to the theory of phase transitions, from Image Processing to Fracture Mechanics. This text, written by an expert in the field, provides a brief and simple introduction to this subject, based on the treatment of a series of fundamental problems that illustrate the main features and techniques of Gamma-convergence and at the same time provide a stimulating starting point for further studies. The main part is set in a one-dimensional framework that highlights the main issues of Gamma-convergence without the burden of higher-dimensional technicalities. The text deals in sequence with increasingly complex problems, first treating integral functionals, then homogenisation, segmentation problems, phase transitions, free-discontinuity problems and their discrete and continuous approximation, making stimulating connections among those problems and with applications. The final part is devoted to an introduction to higher-dimensional problems, where more technical tools are usually needed, but the main techniques of Gamma-convergence illustrated in the previous section may be applied unchanged. The book and its structure originate from the author's experience in teaching courses on this subject to students at PhD level in all fields of Applied Analysis, and from the interaction with many specialists in Mechanics and Computer Vision, which have helped in making the text addressed also to a non-mathematical audience. The material of the book is almost self-contained, requiring only some basic notion of Measure Theory and Functional Analysis.

Many materials can be modeled either as discrete systems or as continua, depending on the scale. At intermediate scales it is necessary to understand the transition from discrete to continuous models and variational methods have proved successful in this task, especially for systems, both stochastic and deterministic, that depend on lattice energies. This is the first systematic and unified presentation of research in the area over the last 20 years. The authors begin with a very general and flexible compactness and representation result, complemented by a thorough exploration of problems for ferromagnetic energies with applications ranging from optimal design to quasicrystals and percolation. This leads to a treatment of frustrated systems, and infinite-dimensional systems with diffuse interfaces. Each topic is presented with examples, proofs and applications. Written by leading experts, it is suitable as a graduate course text as well as being an invaluable reference for researchers.

This book introduces the reader to important concepts in modern applied analysis, such as homogenization, gradient flows on metric spaces, geometric evolution, Gamma-convergence tools, applications of geometric measure theory, properties of interfacial energies, etc.

This book introduces the reader to important concepts in modern applied analysis, such as homogenization, gradient flows on metric spaces, geometric evolution, Gamma-convergence tools, applications of geometric measure theory, properties of interfacial energies, etc.

This book addresses new questions related to the asymptotic description of converging energies from the standpoint of local minimization and variational evolution. It explores the links between Gamma-limits, quasistatic evolution, gradient flows and stable points, raising new questions and proposing new techniques. These include the definition of effective energies that maintain the pattern of local minima, the introduction of notions of convergence of energies compatible with stable points, the computation of homogenized motions at critical time-scales through the definition of minimizing movement along a sequence of energies, the use of scaled energies to study long-term behavior or backward motion for variational evolutions. The notions explored in the book are linked to existing findings for gradient flows, energetic solutions and local minimizers, for which some generalizations are also proposed.

The study of variational problems showing multi-scale behaviour with oscillation or concentration phenomena is a challenging topic of very active research. This volume collects lecture notes on the asymptotic analysis of such problems when multi-scale behaviour derives from scale separation in the passage from atomistic systems to continuous functionals, from competition between bulk and surface energies, from various types of homogenization processes, and on concentration effects in Ginzburg-Landau energies and in subcritical growth problems.

Functionals involving both volume and surface energies have a number of applications ranging from Computer Vision to Fracture Mechanics. In order to tackle numerical and dynamical problems linked to such functionals many approximations by functionals defined on smooth functions have been proposed (using high-order singular perturbations, finite-difference or non-local energies, etc.) The purpose of this book is to present a global approach to these approximations using the theory of gamma-convergence and of special functions of bounded variation. The book is directed to PhD students and researchers in calculus of variations, interested in approximation problems with possible applications.