Abstract
We observe that for a unit tangent vector field u ∈ TM on a 3-dimensional Riemannian manifold M, there is a unique unit cotangent vector field A ∈ T∗M associated to u such that we can define the curl of u by dA. Through a unit cotangent vector field A ∈ T∗M, we define the Oseen–Frank energy functional on 3-dimensional Riemannian manifolds. Moreover, we prove partial regularity of minimizers of the Oseen–Frank energy on 3-dimensional Riemannian manifolds.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Almgren, F.J., Lieb, E.H.: Singularities of energy minimizing maps from the ball to the sphere: Examples, counterexamples, and bounds. Ann. Math. 128, 483–530 (1988)
Bethuel, F., Brezis, H.: Regularity of minimizers of relaxed problems for harmonic maps. J. Funct. Anal. 101, 145–161 (1991)
Bethuel, F., Brezis, H., Coron, J.M.: Relaxed energies for harmonic maps. In: Berestycki, H., Coron, J.-M., Ekeland, I (eds.) Variational Methods. Progress in Nonlinear Differential Equations and Their Applications, vol. 4, pp 37–52. Birkhäuser, Basel (1990)
Brezis, H., Coron, J.-M., Lieb, E.H.: Harmonic maps with defects. Commun. Math. Phys. 107, 649–705 (1986)
Chen, Y., Struwe, M.: Existence and partial regular results for the heat flow for harmonic maps. Math. Z. 201, 83–103 (1989)
Chern, S.S., Chen, W.H., Lam, K.S.: Lectures on Differential Geometry. Series on University Mathematics, vol. 1. World Scientific, Singapore (1998)
Eells, J., Lemaire, L.: A report on harmonic maps. Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 10, 1–68 (1978)
Eells, J., Sampson, J.H.: Harmonic map**s of Riemannian manifolds. Amer. J. Math. 86, 109–160 (1964)
Ericksen, J.L.: Conservation laws for liquid crystals. Trans. Soc. Rheol. 5, 23–34 (1961)
Feng, Z., Hong, M.-C., Mei, Y.: Convergence of the Ginzburg-Landau approximation for the Ericksen-Leslie system. SIAM J. Math. Anal. 52, 481–523 (2020)
Frank, F.C.: On theory of liquid crystals. Discuss. Faraday Soc. 25, 19–28 (1958)
Giaquinta, M.: Multiple Integrals in the Calculus of Variations and Nonlinear Elliptic Systems. Princeton University Press, Princeton (1983)
Giaquinta, M., Giusti, E.: On the regularity of the minima of variational integrals. Acta Math. 148, 31–46 (1982)
Giaquinta, M., Giusti, E.: The singular set of the minima of certain quadratic functionals. Ann. Scuola Norm. Sup. Pisa Cl. Sci. (4) 11, 45–55 (1984)
Giaquinta, M., Hong, M. -C., Yin, H.: A new approximation of relaxed energies for harmonic maps and the Faddeev model. Calc. Var. Partial Differ. Equ. 41, 45–69 (2011)
Giaquinta, M., Modica, G., Souček, J.: The Dirichlet energy of map**s with values into the sphere. Manuscripta Math. 65, 489–507 (1989)
Giaquinta, M., Modica, G., Souček, J.: Liquid crystals: Relaxed energies, dipoles, singular lines and singular points. Ann. Scuola Norm. Sup. Pisa 17, 415–437 (1990)
Giaquinta, M., Modica, G., Souček, J.: Cartesian Currents in the Calculus of Variations, Part II: Variational Integrals. A Series of Modern Surveys in Mathematics, vol. 38. Springer, Berlin (1998)
Giusti, E.: Direct Methods in the Calculus of Variations. World Scientific, Singapore (2003)
Hardt, R., Kinderlehrer, D., Lin, F.-H.: Existence and partial regularity of static liquid crystal configurations. Commun. Math. Phys. 105, 547–570 (1986)
Hardt, R., Kinderlehrer, D., Lin, F.-H.: Stable defects of minimizers of constrained variational principles. Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Non Linear Anal. 5, 297–322 (1988)
Hong, M.-C.: Partial regularity of weak solutions of the liquid crystal equilibrium system. Indiana Univ. Math. J. 53, 1401–1414 (2004)
Hong, M.-C.: Existence of infinitely many equilibrium configurations of the liquid crystal system prescribing the same nonconstant boundary value. Pac. J. Math. 232, 177–206 (2007)
Hong, M.-C.: Some results on harmonic maps. Bull. Inst. Math. Acad. Sin. (N.S.) 9, 187–221 (2014)
Hong, M. -C., Jost, J., Struwe, M.: Asymptotic limits of a Ginzburg-Landau type functional. In: Jost, J. (ed.) Geometric Analysis and the Calculus of Variations for Stefan Hildebrandt, pp 99–123. International Press (1996)
Hong, M.-C., Li, J., **n, Z.: Blow-up criteria of strong solutions to the Ericksen-Leslie system in \(\mathbb {R}^{3}\). Commun. Partial Differ. Equ. 39, 1284–1328 (2014)
Hong, M. -C., Mei, Y.: Well-posedness of the Ericksen–Leslie system with the Oseen–Frank energy in \(L^{3}_{uloc}(\mathbb {R}^{3})\). Calc. Var. Partial Differ. Equ. 58, 3 (2019)
Hong, M. -C., **n, Z.: Global existence of solutions of the liquid crystal flow for the Oseen–Frank model in \(\mathbb {R}^{2}\). Adv. Math. 231, 1364–1400 (2012)
Jost, J.: Harmonic Maps Between Surfaces. Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol. 1062. Springer, Berlin (1984)
Jost, J.: Nonlinear Methods in Riemannian and Kählerian Geometry: Delivered at the German Mathematical Society Seminar in Düsseldorf in June, vol. 1986. Birkhäuser, Basel (1988)
Jost, J.: Riemannian Geometry and Geometric Analysis, 4th edn. Springer, Cham (2005)
Leslie, F.M.: Some constitutive equations for liquid crystals. Arch. Rational Mech. Anal. 28, 265–283 (1968)
Sacks, J., Uhlenbeck, K.: The existence of minimal immersions of 2-spheres. Ann. Math. (2) 113, 1–24 (1981)
Schoen, R., Uhlenbeck, K.: A regularity theory for harmonic maps. J. Differ. Geom. 17, 307–335 (1982)
Stewart, I.W.: The Static and Dynamic Continuum Theory of Liquid Crystals: A Mathematical Introduction. Taylor and Francis, London (2004)
Oseen, C.W.: The theory of liquid crystals. Trans. Faraday Soc. 29, 833–899 (1933)
Struwe, M.: On the evolution of harmonic maps of Riemannian surfaces. Commun. Math. Helv. 60, 558–581 (1985)
Uhlenbeck, K.: Morse theory by perturbation methods with applications to harmonic maps. Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 267, 569–583 (1981)
Acknowledgements
I would take this opportunity to thank Professors Mariano Giaquinta and Enrico Giusti for their strong influence and support; in particular, the main idea of this paper was taught by them. Part of the research was supported by the Australian Research Council grant DP150101275.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Dedicated to Professor Jürgen Jost on the occasion of his 65th birthday.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hong, MC. The Oseen–Frank Energy Functional on Manifolds. Vietnam J. Math. 49, 597–613 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10013-020-00468-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10013-020-00468-2