A survey on the optimal partition problem
Analysis of PDEs
2025-10-10 v1
Abstract
This survey synthesizes the current state of the art on the regularity theory for solutions to the optimal partition problem. Namely, we consider non-negative, vector-valued Sobolev functions whose components have mutually disjoint support, and which are either local minimizers of the Dirichlet energy or, more generally, critical points satisfying a system of variational inequalities. This is particularly meaningful as the problem has emerged on several occasions and in diverse contexts: our aim is then to provide a coherent point of view and an up-to-date account of the progress concerning regularity of the solutions and their free boundaries, both in the interior and up to a fixed boundary.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2510.08241,
title = {A survey on the optimal partition problem},
author = {Roberto Ognibene and Bozhidar Velichkov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2510.08241},
year = {2025}
}