We study a Ginzburg--Landau model for an inhomogeneous superconductor in the singular limit as the Ginzburg--Landau parameter tends to infinity. The inhomogeneity is represented by a potential term which vanishes when the order parameter equals a given smooth function, the pinning term, which is assumed to become negative in finitely many smooth subdomains, the ''normally included'' regions. For large exterior magnetic field, we study the Gamma-limit of this inhomogeneous Ginzburg-Landau functional. The vanishing of the given smooth function near the inner boundaries imply that the associated operators are strictly but not uniformly elliptic, leading to many questions to be resolved near the boundaries of the normal regions. The method we use is an extension of many techniques including the product estimate from Sandier-Serfaty, Jacobian estimates from Jerrard-Soner and an appropriate Hodge decomposition adapted to our problem. To resolve these problems, we first study the Gamma-limit in the simpler case when the pinning term is varying but bounded below by a positive constant. Second, we consider singular limits of the three-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau functional for a superconductor with thin-film geometry, in a constant external magnetic field. The superconducting domain is multiply connected and has a small characteristic thickness, and we consider the simultaneous limit as the thickness tends to zero and the Ginzburg-Landau parameter to infinity. We do this when the applied field is strong in its components tangential to the film domain. Finally, we study the Gamma-limit of the inhomogeneous superconducting Ginzburg-Landau model with the pinning term vanishing on the boundary of the normal regions. / Thesis / Doctor of Science (PhD)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Neste trabalho abordamos a teoria de Ginzburg-Landau da supercondutividade (teoria GL). Apresentamos suas origens, características e resultados mais importantes. A idéia fundamental desta teoria e descrever a transição de fase que sofrem alguns metais de uma fase normal para uma fase supercondutora. Durante uma transição de fase em supercondutores do tipo II é característico o surgimento de linhas de fluxo magnético em determinadas regiões de tamanho finito chamadas comumente de vórtices. A dinâmica destas estruturas topológicas é de grande interesse na comunidade científica atual e impulsiona incontáveis núcleos de pesquisa na área da supercondutividade. Baseado nisto estudamos como essas estruturas topológicas influenciam em uma transição de fase em um modelo bidimensional conhecido como modelo XY. No modelo XY vemos que os principais responsáveis pela transição de fase são os vórtices (na verdade pares de vórtice-antivórtice). Villain, observando este fato, percebeu que poderia tornar explícita a contribuição desses defeitos topológicos na função de partição do modelo XY realizando uma transformação de dualidade. Este modelo serve como inspiração para a proposta deste trabalho. Apresentamos aqui um modelo baseado em considerações físicas sobre sistemas de matéria condensada e ao mesmo tempo utilizamos um formalismo desenvolvido recentemente na referência [29] que possibilita tornar explícita a contribuição dos defeitos topológicos na ação original proposta em nossa teoria. Após isso analisamos alguns limites clássicos e finalmente realizamos as flutuações quânticas visando obter a expressão completa da função correlação dos vórtices o que pode ser muito útil em teorias de vórtices interagentes (dinâmica de vórtices). / In this work we introduced the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity (GL theory). We have shown your foundations, features and more important results. The fundamental idea of this theory is to describe the phase transition that some metals undergoes from a normal to a superconductor phase. During a phase transition in superconductors of type II is common the appearance of magnetic flux lines in given regions of finite size called of vortices. The knowledge of the dynamics of these vortices is of great importance in the current cientific community and drives many research centers to study the superconductivity. In view of this we study how these vortices changes a phase transition in a bidimensional model known as XY model.In XY model one can show that the main responsible for the phase transition are the vortices (or still, vortice-antivortice pairs). Villain, noting this fact, realized that could to turn explicit the contribution of theses topological defects in the partition function of XY model making a duality transformation. This model inspired us to study the subject of this master thesis. We presented here a model based in physical considerations about systems of condensed matter. At the same time we used a formalism developed in reference [29] that permits to turn explicit the contribution of these vortices in the original action proposed in our theory. Finally we analysed some classical limits and we looked for the quantum fluctuations to obtain the complete expression of the correlation function of vortices, whose utility is in the study of interacting vortices is wide (vortex dynamics).

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Neste trabalho abordamos a teoria de Ginzburg-Landau da supercondutividade (teoria GL). Apresentamos suas origens, características e resultados mais importantes. A idéia fundamental desta teoria e descrever a transição de fase que sofrem alguns metais de uma fase normal para uma fase supercondutora. Durante uma transição de fase em supercondutores do tipo II é característico o surgimento de linhas de fluxo magnético em determinadas regiões de tamanho finito chamadas comumente de vórtices. A dinâmica destas estruturas topológicas é de grande interesse na comunidade científica atual e impulsiona incontáveis núcleos de pesquisa na área da supercondutividade. Baseado nisto estudamos como essas estruturas topológicas influenciam em uma transição de fase em um modelo bidimensional conhecido como modelo XY. No modelo XY vemos que os principais responsáveis pela transição de fase são os vórtices (na verdade pares de vórtice-antivórtice). Villain, observando este fato, percebeu que poderia tornar explícita a contribuição desses defeitos topológicos na função de partição do modelo XY realizando uma transformação de dualidade. Este modelo serve como inspiração para a proposta deste trabalho. Apresentamos aqui um modelo baseado em considerações físicas sobre sistemas de matéria condensada e ao mesmo tempo utilizamos um formalismo desenvolvido recentemente na referência [29] que possibilita tornar explícita a contribuição dos defeitos topológicos na ação original proposta em nossa teoria. Após isso analisamos alguns limites clássicos e finalmente realizamos as flutuações quânticas visando obter a expressão completa da função correlação dos vórtices o que pode ser muito útil em teorias de vórtices interagentes (dinâmica de vórtices). / In this work we introduced the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity (GL theory). We have shown your foundations, features and more important results. The fundamental idea of this theory is to describe the phase transition that some metals undergoes from a normal to a superconductor phase. During a phase transition in superconductors of type II is common the appearance of magnetic flux lines in given regions of finite size called of vortices. The knowledge of the dynamics of these vortices is of great importance in the current cientific community and drives many research centers to study the superconductivity. In view of this we study how these vortices changes a phase transition in a bidimensional model known as XY model.In XY model one can show that the main responsible for the phase transition are the vortices (or still, vortice-antivortice pairs). Villain, noting this fact, realized that could to turn explicit the contribution of theses topological defects in the partition function of XY model making a duality transformation. This model inspired us to study the subject of this master thesis. We presented here a model based in physical considerations about systems of condensed matter. At the same time we used a formalism developed in reference [29] that permits to turn explicit the contribution of these vortices in the original action proposed in our theory. Finally we analysed some classical limits and we looked for the quantum fluctuations to obtain the complete expression of the correlation function of vortices, whose utility is in the study of interacting vortices is wide (vortex dynamics).

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'analyse des singularités apparaissant dans des équations différentielles partielles elliptiques non linéaires découlant de la physique mathématique, de la biologie mathématique, et de la géométrie conforme. Les thèmes abordés sont le modèle de supraconductivité de Ginzburg-Landau, le problème de Lin-Ni-Takagi, le modèle de Keller-Segel de la chimiotaxie, et le problème de courbure scalaire prescrite. Le modèle de Ginzburg-Landau est une description phénoménologique de la supraconductivité. Une caractéristique essentielle des supraconducteurs de type II est la présence de vortex, qui apparaissent au-dessus d'une certaine valeur de la force du champ magnétique appliqué, appelée premier champ critique. Nous nous intéressons au régime de epsilon petit, où epsilon est l'inverse du paramètre de Ginzburg-Landau (une constante du matériau). Dans ce régime, les vortex sont au premier ordre des singularités topologiques de co-dimension 2. Nous fournissons une construction quantitative par approximation de vortex en dimension trois pour l'énergie de Ginzburg-Landau, ce qui donne une approximation des lignes de vortex ainsi qu'une borne inférieure pour l'énergie, qui est optimale au premier ordre et vérifiée au niveau epsilon. En utilisant ces outils, nous analysons ensuite le comportement des minimiseurs globaux en dessous et proche du premier champ critique. Nous montrons que, en dessous de cette valeur critique, les minimiseurs de l'énergie de Ginzburg-Landau sont des configurations sans vortex et que les minimiseurs, proche de cette valeur, ont une vorticité bornée. Le problème de Lin-Ni-Takagi apparait comme l'ombre (dans la littérature anglaise ``shadow'') du système de Gierer-Meinhardt d'équations de réaction-diffusion qui modélise la formation de motifs biologiques. Ce problème est celui de trouver des solutions positives d'une équation critique dans un domaine régulier et borné de dimension trois, avec une condition de Neumann homogène au bord. Dans cette thèse, nous construisons des solutions à ce problème présentant un comportement explosif en un point du domaine, lorsqu'un certain paramètre converge vers une valeur critique. La chimiotaxie est l'influence de substances chimiques dans un environnement sur le mouvement des organismes. Le modèle de Keller-Segel pour la chimiotaxie est un système de diffusion-advection composé de deux équations paraboliques couplées. Ici, nous nous intéressons aux états stationnaires radiaux de ce système. Nous sommes alors amenés à étudier une équation critique dans la boule unité de dimension 2, avec une condition de Neumann homogène au bord. Dans cette thèse, nous construisons plusieurs familles de solutions radiales qui explosent à l'origine de la boule, et se concentrent sur le bord et/ou sur une sphère intérieure, lorsqu' un certain paramètre converge vers zéro. Enfin, nous étudions le problème de la courbure scalaire prescrite. Étant donnée une variété Riemannienne compacte de dimension n, nous voulons trouver des métriques conformes dont la courbure scalaire soit une fonction prescrite, qui dépend d'un petit paramètre. Nous supposons que cette fonction a un point critique qui satisfait une hypothèse de platitude appropriée. Nous construisons plusieurs métriques, qui explosent lorsque le paramètre converge vers zéro, avec courbure scalaire prescrite. / This thesis is devoted to the analysis of singularities in nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations arising in mathematical physics, mathematical biology, and conformal geometry. The topics treated are the Ginzburg-Landau model of superconductivity, the Lin-Ni-Takagi problem, the Keller-Segel model of chemotaxis, and the prescribed scalar curvature problem. The Ginzburg-Landau model is a phenomenological description of superconductivity. An essential feature of type-II superconductors is the presence of vortices, which appear above a certain value of the strength of the applied magnetic field called the first critical field. We are interested in the regime of small epsilon, where epsilon is the inverse of the Ginzburg-Landau parameter (a material constant). In this regime, the vortices are at main order co-dimension 2 topological singularities. We provide a quantitative three-dimensional vortex approximation construction for the Ginzburg-Landau energy, which gives an approximation of vortex lines coupled to a lower bound for the energy, which is optimal to leading order and valid at the epsilon-level. By using these tools we then analyze the behavior of global minimizers below and near the first critical field. We show that below this critical value, minimizers of the Ginzburg-Landau energy are vortex-free configurations and that near this value, minimizers have bounded vorticity. The Lin-Ni-Takagi problem arises as the shadow of the Gierer-Meinhardt system of reaction-diffusion equations that models biological pattern formation. This problem is that of finding positive solutions of a critical equation in a bounded smooth three-dimensional domain, under zero Neumann boundary conditions. In this thesis, we construct solutions to this problem exhibiting single bubbling behavior at one point of the domain, as a certain parameter converges to a critical value. Chemotaxis is the influence of chemical substances in an environment on the movement of organisms. The Keller-Segel model for chemotaxis is an advection-diffusion system consisting of two coupled parabolic equations. Here, we are interested in radial steady states of this system. We are then led to study a critical equation in the two-dimensional unit ball, under zero Neumann boundary conditions. In this thesis, we construct several families of radial solutions which blow up at the origin of the ball and concentrate on the boundary and/or an interior sphere, as a certain parameter converges to zero. Finally, we study the prescribed scalar curvature problem. Given an n-dimensional compact Riemannian manifold, we are interested in finding bubbling metrics whose scalar curvature is a prescribed function, depending on a small parameter. We assume that this function has a critical point which satisfies a suitable flatness assumption. We construct several metrics, which blow-up as the parameter goes to zero, with prescribed scalar curvature.