An overdetermined problem for the anisotropic capacity

We consider an overdetermined problem for the Finsler Laplacian in the exterior of a convex domain in $\mathbb{R}^N$, establishing a symmetry result for the anisotropic capacitary potential. Our result extends the one of W. Reichel [Arch. Rational Mech. Anal. 137 (1997)], where the usual Newtonian capacity is considered, giving rise to an overdetermined problem for the standard Laplace equation. Here, we replace the usual Euclidean norm of the gradient with an arbitrary norm $H$. The resulting symmetry of the solution is that of the so-called Wulff shape (a ball in the dual norm $H_0$)

The inefficiency of satellite accretion in forming extended star clusters

The distinction between globular clusters and dwarf galaxies has been progressively blurred by the recent discoveries of several extended star clusters, with size (20-30 pc) and luminosity (-6 < Mv < -2) comparable to the one of faint dwarf spheroidals. In order to explain their sparse structure, it has been suggested that they formed as star clusters in dwarf galaxy satellites that later accreted onto the Milky Way. If these clusters form in the centre of dwarf galaxies, they evolve in a tidally-compressive environment where the contribution of the tides to the virial balance can become significant, and lead to a super-virial state and subsequent expansion of the cluster, once removed. Using N-body simulations, we show that a cluster formed in such an extreme environment undergoes a sizable expansion, during the drastic variation of the external tidal field due to the accretion process. However, we show that the expansion due to the removal of the compressive tides is not enough to explain the observed extended structure, since the stellar systems resulting from this process are always more compact than the corresponding clusters that expand in isolation due to two-body relaxation. We conclude that an accreted origin of extended globular clusters is unlikely to explain their large spatial extent, and rather favor the hypothesis that such clusters are already extended at the stage of their formation.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Stability of L∞L^\infty solutions for hyperbolic systems with coinciding shocks and rarefactions

We consider a hyperbolic system of conservation laws u_t + f(u)_x = 0 and u(0,\cdot) = u_0, where each characteristic field is either linearly degenerate or genuinely nonlinear. Under the assumption of coinciding shock and rarefaction curves and the existence of a set of Riemann coordinates $w$, we prove that there exists a semigroup of solutions $u(t) = \mathcal{S}_t u_0$, defined on initial data $u_0 \in L^\infty$. The semigroup $\mathcal{S}$ is continuous w.r.t. time and the initial data $u_0$ in the $L^1_{\text{loc}}$ topology. Moreover $\mathcal{S}$ is unique and its trajectories are obtained as limits of wave front tracking approximations.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure