We introduce new diffuse approximations of the Willmore functional and the Willmore flow. They are based on a corresponding approximation of the perimeter that has been studied by Amstutz-van Goethem [Interfaces Free Bound.14 (2012)]. We identify the candidate for the Γ-convergence, prove the Γ-limsup statement and justify the convergence to the Willmore flow by an asymptotic expansion. Furthermore, we present numerical simulations that are based on the new approximation.
G.Alberti, Variational models for phase transitions, an approach via Γ-convergence, in: Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations, Pisa, 1996, Springer, Berlin, 2000, pp. 95–114. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-57186-2_3.
2.
G.Alberti and G.Bellettini, A nonlocal anisotropic model for phase transitions. I. The optimal profile problem, Math Ann.310(3) (1998), 527–560. doi:10.1007/s002080050159.
3.
S.Amstutz and N.Van Goethem, Topology optimization methods with gradient-free perimeter approximation, Interfaces Free Bound.14(3) (2012), 401–430. doi:10.4171/IFB/286.
4.
J.W.Barrett, H.Garcke and R.Nürnberg, A parametric finite element method for fourth order geometric evolution equations, J Comput Phys.222(1) (2007), 441–462. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2006.07.026.
5.
J.W.Barrett, H.Garcke and R.Nürnberg, Parametric approximation of Willmore flow and related geometric evolution equations, SIAM J Sci Comput.31(1) (2008), 225–253. doi:10.1137/070700231.
6.
J.W.Barrett, H.Garcke and R.Nürnberg, Numerical approximation of gradient flows for closed curves in , IMA J Numer Anal.30(1) (2010), 4–60. doi:10.1093/imanum/drp005.
7.
P.W.Bates, P.C.Fife, X.Ren and X.Wang, Traveling waves in a convolution model for phase transitions, Arch Rational Mech Anal.138(2) (1997), 105–136. doi:10.1007/s002050050037.
8.
G.Bellettini, Variational approximation of functionals with curvatures and related properties, J Convex Anal.4(1) (1997), 91–108.
9.
G.Bellettini, Lecture Notes on Mean Curvature Flow, Barriers and Singular Perturbations, Appunti. Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (Nuova Serie) [Lecture Notes. Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (New Series)], Vol. 12, Edizioni della Normale, Pisa, 2013.
10.
G.Bellettini and M.Paolini, Approssimazione variazionale di funzionali con curvatura, Seminario di Analisi Matematica Univ Dipartimento di Matematica dell’Università di Bologna. (1993), 87–97.
11.
G.Blaschke and G.Thomsem, Vorlesungen über Differentialgeometrie und geometrische Grundlagen von Einsteins Relativitätstheorie III – Differentialgeometrie der Kreise und Kugeln, 1st edn, Vol. 29, Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 1929.
12.
A.Bonito, R.H.Nochetto and M.S.Pauletti, Parametric FEM for geometric biomembranes, J Comput Phys.229(9) (2010), 3171–3188. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2009.12.036.
13.
A.Braides, Γ-Convergence for Beginners, Oxford Lecture Series in Mathematics and Its Applications., Vol. 22, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198507840.001.0001.
14.
E.Bretin, S.Masnou and E.Oudet, Phase-field approximations of the Willmore functional and flow, Numer Math.131(1) (2015), 115–171. doi:10.1007/s00211-014-0683-4.
15.
F.Campelo and A.Hernández-Machado, Dynamic model and stationary shapes of fluid vesicles, The European physical journal E Soft matter.20 (2006), 37–45.
16.
P.B.Canham, The minimum energy of bending as a possible explanation of the biconcave shape of the human red blood cell, Journal of Theoretical Biology.26(1) (1970), 61–81, available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022519370800327. doi:10.1016/S0022-5193(70)80032-7.
17.
E.De Giorgi, Some remarks on Γ-convergence and least squares method, in: Composite Media and Homogenization Theory, Trieste, 1990, Progr. Nonlinear Differential Equations Appl., Vol. 5, Birkhäuser Boston, Boston, MA, 1991, pp. 135–142.
18.
P.de Mottoni and M.Schatzman, Development of interfaces in , Proc Roy Soc Edinburgh Sect A.116(3–4) (1990), 207–220. doi:10.1017/S0308210500031486.
19.
K.Deckelnick, G.Dziuk and C.M.Elliott, Computation of geometric partial differential equations and mean curvature flow, Acta Numer.14 (2005), 139–232. doi:10.1017/S0962492904000224.
20.
P.W.Dondl, A.Lemenant and S.Wojtowytsch, Phase field models for thin elastic structures with topological constraint, Arch Ration Mech Anal.223(2) (2017), 693–736. doi:10.1007/s00205-016-1043-6.
M.Droske and M.Rumpf, A level set formulation for Willmore flow, Interfaces Free Bound.6(3) (2004), 361–378. doi:10.4171/IFB/105.
23.
Q.Du, C.Liu and X.Wang, A phase field approach in the numerical study of the elastic bending energy for vesicle membranes, J Comput Phys.198(2) (2004), 450–468. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2004.01.029.
24.
C.M.Elliott and S.B.Modeling, Computation of two phase geometric biomembranes using surface finite elements, J Comput Phys.229(18) (2010), 6585–6612. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2010.05.014.
25.
S.Esedoḡlu, A.Rätz and M.Röger, Colliding interfaces in old and new diffuse-interface approximations of Willmore-flow, Commun Math Sci.12(1) (2014), 125–147. doi:10.4310/CMS.2014.v12.n1.a6.
26.
M.Fei and Y.Liu, Phase-field approximation of the Willmore flow, Arch Ration Mech Anal.241(3) (2021), 1655–1706. doi:10.1007/s00205-021-01678-9.
27.
M.Franken, M.Rumpf and B.Wirth, A phase field based PDE constrained optimization approach to time discrete Willmore flow, Int J Numer Anal Model.10(1) (2013), 116–138.
28.
S.Germain, Recherches sur la théorie des surfaces élastiques, Paris: M.me v.e Courcier; 1821. Available from ark:/13960/t83k07s7c.
29.
W.Helfrich, Elastic properties of lipid bilayers: Theory and possible experiments, Z Naturforsch C.12 (1973), 28.
30.
E.Kuwert and R.Schätzle, The Willmore flow with small initial energy, J Differential Geom.57(3) (2001), 409–441, available at: http://projecteuclid.org/euclid.jdg/1090348128. doi:10.4310/jdg/1090348128.
31.
E.Kuwert and R.Schätzle, Gradient flow for the Willmore functional, Comm Anal Geom.10(2) (2002), 307–339. doi:10.4310/CAG.2002.v10.n2.a4.
32.
E.Kuwert and R.Schätzle, Removability of point singularities of Willmore surfaces, Ann of Math (2)160(1) (2004), 315–357. doi:10.4007/annals.2004.160.315.
33.
E.Kuwert and R.Schätzle, The Willmore functional, in: Topics in Modern Regularity Theory, CRM Series, Vol. 13, Ed. Norm, Pisa, 2012, pp. 1–115. doi:10.1007/978-88-7642-427-4_1.
34.
J.Langer and D.A.Singer, The total squared curvature of closed curves, J Differential Geom.20(1) (1984), 1–22, available at: http://projecteuclid.org/euclid.jdg/1214438990. doi:10.4310/jdg/1214438990.
35.
E.H.Lieb and M.Loss, Analysis, 2nd edn, Graduate Studies in Mathematics, Vol. 14, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 2001. doi:10.1090/gsm/014.
36.
P.Loreti and R.March, Propagation of fronts in a nonlinear fourth order equation, European J Appl Math.11(2) (2000), 203–213. doi:10.1017/S0956792599004131.
37.
A.E.H.Love, A Treatise on the Mathematical Theory of Elasticity, 4th edn, Dover Publications, New York, 2013.
38.
J.S.Lowengrub, A.Rätz and A.Voigt, Phase-field modeling of the dynamics of multicomponent vesicles: Spinodal decomposition, coarsening, budding, and fission, Phys Rev E (3)79(3) (2009), 0311926. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.79.031926.
39.
R.March and M.Dozio, A variational method for the recovery of smooth boundaries, Image and Vision Computing.15(9) (1997), 705–712, available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0262885697000024. doi:10.1016/S0262-8856(97)00002-4.
40.
F.C.Marques and A.Neves, Min–max theory and the Willmore conjecture, Ann of Math (2)179(2) (2014), 683–782. doi:10.4007/annals.2014.179.2.6.
41.
L.Modica, The gradient theory of phase transitions and the minimal interface criterion, Arch Rational Mech Anal.98(2) (1987), 123–142. doi:10.1007/BF00251230.
42.
L.Modica and S.Mortola, Un esempio di -convergenza, Boll Un Mat Ital B (5)14(1) (1977), 285–299.
43.
L.Mugnai, Gamma-convergence results for phase-field approximations of the 2D-Euler elastica functional, ESAIM Control Optim Calc Var.19(3) (2013), 740–753. doi:10.1051/cocv/2012031.
44.
D.Mumford, Elastica and computer vision, in: Algebraic Geometry and Its Applications, West Lafayette, IN, 1990, Springer, New York, 1994, pp. 491–506. doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-2628-4_31.
45.
L.Perko, Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems, 2nd edn, Texts in Applied Mathematics, Vol. 7, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1996. doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-0249-0.
46.
S.D.Poisson, Mémoire sur les surfaces élastiques. Cl. Sci. Mathem. Phys. Inst. de France; 1814. 2nd part, 167–225.
47.
A.Rätz and M.Röger, A new diffuse-interface approximation of the Willmore flow, ESAIM: COCV27 (2021), 14. doi:10.1051/cocv/2021013.
C.R.Robert and T.Lev, Discretization and hysteresis, Physica B: Condensed Matter.233(4) (1997), 370–375. Available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921452697003232.
50.
M.Röger and R.Schätzle, On a modified conjecture of De Giorgi, Math Z.254(4) (2006), 675–714. doi:10.1007/s00209-006-0002-6.
51.
R.E.Rusu, An algorithm for the elastic flow of surfaces, Interfaces Free Bound.7(3) (2005), 229–239. doi:10.4171/IFB/122.
52.
E.Sandier and S.Serfaty, Gamma-convergence of gradient flows with applications to Ginzburg–Landau, Comm Pure Appl Math.57(12) (2004), 1627–1672. doi:10.1002/cpa.20046.
53.
L.Simon, Existence of surfaces minimizing the Willmore functional, Comm Anal Geom.1(2) (1993), 281–326. doi:10.4310/CAG.1993.v1.n2.a4.
54.
G.Simonett, The Willmore flow near spheres, Differential Integral Equations.14(8) (2001), 1005–1014.
55.
M.Solci and E.Vitali, Variational models for phase separation, Interfaces Free Bound.5(1) (2003), 27–46. doi:10.4171/IFB/70.
56.
E.M.Stein, Singular Integrals and Differentiability Properties of Functions, Princeton Math. Ser., Vol. 30, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1970.
57.
G.Thomsen, Grundlagen der konformen Flächentheorie, Abhandlungen aus dem Mathematischen Seminar der Universität Hamburg., Vol. 3, Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 1924. doi:10.1007/BF02954615.
58.
X.Wang, Asymptotic analysis of phase field formulations of bending elasticity models, SIAM J Math Anal.39(5) (2008), 1367–1401. doi:10.1137/060663519.
59.
X.Wang and Q.Du, Modelling and simulations of multi-component lipid membranes and open membranes via diffuse interface approaches, J Math Biol.56(3) (2008), 347–371. doi:10.1007/s00285-007-0118-2.
60.
X.Wang, L.Ju and Q.Du, Efficient and stable exponential time differencing Runge–Kutta methods for phase field elastic bending energy models, J Comput Phys.316 (2016), 21–38. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2016.04.004.
61.
T.J.Willmore, Note on embedded surfaces. An Şti Univ “Al I Cuza”, Iaşi Secţ I a Mat (NS)11B (1965), 493–496.
62.
T.J.Willmore, Riemannian Geometry, Oxford Science Publications., The Clarendon Press Oxford University Press, New York, 1993.