Concentration Phenomena in Nonlinear PDEs and Elasto-plasticity Theory

Numerous important open problems in Analysis, from such diverse areas as the compensated compactness theory of PDEs, the shape optimization of elastic materials, or the transport of geometric structures like vortex filaments in fluids and dislocation lines in crystalline materials, have at their core deep questions about "diffusely concentrating" sequences of maps, measures, or currents. Prototypical sequences of this kind display an increasing number of thin and repetitive structures as the typical length scale goes to zero. The challenge is to understand the asymptotic configurations that this "network" of structures can exhibit, which are usually highly restricted by the presence of a (linear) PDE constraint like divergence-freeness. Despite much progress in the related study of singularities in measures over the last decade, diffuse concentrations have remained shrouded in mystery. Building on the recent groundbreaking advances by the PI at the intersection of PDE Theory, Geometric Measure Theory, and the Calculus of Variations, the CONCENTRATE proposal aims at transformative progress in this highly active and rapidly evolving research area. As an application and guiding light to the theoretical investigation, the project will furthermore tackle the micro-to-macro homogenization of large-strain elasto-plasticity driven by the motion of dislocations, thus furnishing a rigorous and realistic model of plastic deformations. Often referred to as the "Holy Grail" of plasticity theory, such a homogenization result has so far proved elusive, despite much collective effort, since it requires a fine understanding of the diffuse concentrations encountered when passing from discrete dislocation lines to fields of dislocations. The PI's research leadership in these areas makes him uniquely placed to tackle the ambitious goals of this proposal through the development of novel mathematical tools and the solution of long-standing conjectures of both pure and applied character.