Gamma-convergence of nonlocal perimeter functionals

Abstract

Given ${\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^{n}}$ open, connected and with Lipschitz boundary, and ${s\in (0, 1)}$, we consider the functional

$$\mathcal{J}_s(E,\Omega)\,=\, \int_{E\cap \Omega}\int_{E^c\cap\Omega}\frac{dxdy}{|x-y|^{n+s}}+\int_{E\cap \Omega}\int_{E^c\cap \Omega^c}\frac{dxdy}{|x-y|^{n+s}}\,+ \int_{E\cap \Omega^c}\int_{E^c\cap \Omega}\frac{dxdy}{|x-y|^{n+s}},$$

where ${E\subset\mathbb{R}^{n}}$ is an arbitrary measurable set. We prove that the functionals ${(1-s)\mathcal{J}_s(\cdot, \Omega)}$ are equi-coercive in ${L^1_{\rm loc}(\Omega)}$ as ${s\uparrow 1}$ and that

$$\Gamma-\lim_{s\uparrow 1}(1-s)\mathcal{J}_s(E,\Omega)=\omega_{n-1}P(E,\Omega),\quad \text{for every }E\subset\mathbb{R}^{n}\,{\rm measurable}$$

where P(E, Ω) denotes the perimeter of E in Ω in the sense of De Giorgi. We also prove that as ${s\uparrow 1}$ limit points of local minimizers of ${(1-s)\mathcal{J}_s(\cdot,\Omega)}$ are local minimizers of P(·, Ω).