We study the gradient flow for the total variation functional, which arises in image processing and geometric applications. We propose a variational inequality weak formulation for the gradient flow, and establish well-posedness of the problem by the energy method. The main idea of our approach is to exploit the relationship between the regularized gradient flow (characterized by a small positive parameter $\epsilon$, and the minimal surface flow [21] and the prescribed mean curvature flow [16]. Since our...

We study the gradient flow for the total variation functional, which arises in image processing and geometric applications. We propose a variational inequality weak formulation for the gradient flow, and establish well-posedness of the problem by the energy method. The main idea of our approach is to exploit the relationship between the regularized gradient flow (characterized by a small positive parameter ε, see (1.7)) and the minimal surface flow [21] and the prescribed mean curvature flow [16]. Since...

Let $W$ be a non-negative function of class ${\mathrm{C}}^3$ from ${ℝ}^2$ to $ℝ$, which vanishes exactly at two points $𝐚$ and $𝐛$. Let $S^1(𝐚,𝐛)$ be the set of functions of a real variable which tend to $𝐚$ at $-\infty$ and to $𝐛$ at $+\infty$ and whose one dimensional energy$$E_1\left(v\right)={\int }_{ℝ}\left[W\left(v\right)+|v^{\text{'}}{|}^2/2\right]\mathrm{d}x$$is finite. Assume that there exist two isolated minimizers $z_{+}$ and $z_{-}$ of the energy $E_1$ over $S^1(𝐚,𝐛)$. Under a mild coercivity condition on the potential $W$ and a generic spectral condition on the linearization of the one-dimensional Euler–Lagrange operator at $z_{+}$ and $z_{-}$, it is possible to prove...

Let W be a non-negative function of class C3 from ${}^2$ to $$, which vanishes exactly at two points a and b. Let S1(a, b) be the set of functions of a real variable which tend to a at -∞ and to b at +∞ and whose one dimensional energy $$E_1\left(v\right)={\int }_{\left[W\left(v\right)+{\left|v^{\text{'}}\right|}^2/2\right]}x$$ is finite. Assume that there exist two isolated minimizers z+ and z- of the energy E1 over S1(a, b). Under a mild coercivity condition on the potential W and a generic spectral condition on the linearization of the one-dimensional Euler–Lagrange operator at z+ and...