Calculus of Variations and Geometric Measure Theory

D. Mazzoleni - A. Pratelli - B. Ruffini

Some observations on the Gamow liquid drop model

created by mazzoleni on 12 Oct 2026

[BibTeX]

Preprint

Inserted: 12 oct 2026
Last Updated: 12 oct 2026

Year: 2026

Abstract:

In this paper we deal with the celebrated Gamow liquid drop model, namely, for $m>0$, $N\geq 2$ and $\alpha\in (0,N)$, we study the problem \[ \min\Big\{P(\Omega)+ V_\alpha(\Omega) : \Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^N,\;
\Omega
=m\Big\}\,, \] and focus mostly on the nonexistence of minimizers for large masses. First we show that any possible minimizer in the asymptotic regime must satisfy an optimal thickness property. Eventually, in the simplified setting of sets made up as a tiling of cubes, we show that nonexistence occurs for large masses for the whole range of parameters $N\geq 2$ and $\alpha\in (0,N)$.


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