The distance function from the boundary in a Minkowski space

Let the space $\mathbb{R}^n$ be endowed with a Minkowski structure $M$ (that is $M\colon \mathbb{R}^n \to [0,+\infty)$ is the gauge function of a compact convex set having the origin as an interior point, and with boundary of class $C^2$), and let $d^M(x,y)$ be the (asymmetric) distance associated to $M$. Given an open domain $\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^n$ of class $C^2$, let $d_{\Omega}(x) := \inf\{d^M(x,y); y\in\partial\Omega\}$ be the Minkowski distance of a point $x\in\Omega$ from the boundary of $\Omega$. We prove that a suitable extension of $d_{\Omega}$ to $\mathbb{R}^n$ (which plays the r\"ole of a signed Minkowski distance to $\partial \Omega$) is of class $C^2$ in a tubular neighborhood of $\partial \Omega$, and that $d_{\Omega}$ is of class $C^2$ outside the cut locus of $\partial\Omega$ (that is the closure of the set of points of non--differentiability of $d_{\Omega}$ in $\Omega$). In addition, we prove that the cut locus of $\partial \Omega$ has Lebesgue measure zero, and that $\Omega$ can be decomposed, up to this set of vanishing measure, into geodesics starting from $\partial\Omega$ and going into $\Omega$ along the normal direction (with respect to the Minkowski distance). We compute explicitly the Jacobian determinant of the change of variables that associates to every point $x\in \Omega$ outside the cut locus the pair $(p(x), d_{\Omega}(x))$, where $p(x)$ denotes the (unique) projection of $x$ on $\partial\Omega$, and we apply these techniques to the analysis of PDEs of Monge-Kantorovich type arising from problems in optimal transportation theory and shape optimization.Comment: 34 page

Crystalline Evolutions in Chessboard-like Microstructures

We describe the macroscopic behavior of evolutions by crystalline curvature of planar sets in a chessboard--like medium, modeled by a periodic forcing term. We show that the underlying microstructure may produce both pinning and confinement effects on the geometric motion.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1707.0334

Crystalline evolutions with rapidly oscillating forcing terms

We consider the evolution by crystalline curvature of a planar set in a stratified medium, modeled by a periodic forcing term. We characterize the limit evolution law as the period of the oscillations tends to zero. Even if the model is very simple, the limit evolution problem is quite rich, and we discuss some properties such as uniqueness, comparison principle and pinning/depinning phenomena.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figure

Duality arguments for linear elasticity problems with incompatible deformation fields

We prove existence and uniqueness for solutions to equilibrium problems for free-standing, traction-free, non homogeneous crystals in the presence of plastic slips. Moreover we prove that this class of problems is closed under G-convergence of the operators. In particular the homogenization procedure, valid for elliptic systems in linear elasticity, depicts the macroscopic features of a composite material in the presence of plastic deformation

DOMINO PROJECT GUIDELINES FOR EXPERIMENTAL PRACTICE

The aim of this handbook of experimental guidelines is to level out analyses run during the "Domino project" on practices for sustainable management of organic apple orchard and vineyard in field condition