A fractal shape optimization problem in branched transport

Abstract

We investigate the following question: what is the set of unit volume which can be best irrigated starting from a single source at the origin, in the sense of branched transport? We may formulate this question as a shape optimization problem and prove existence of solutions, which can be considered as a sort of “unit ball” for branched transport. We establish some elementary properties of optimizers and describe these optimal sets A as sublevel sets of a so-called landscape function which is now classical in branched transport. We prove β-Hölder regularity of the landscape function, allowing us to get an upper bound on the Minkowski dimension of the boundary: dim‾M∂A≤d−β (where β:=d(α−(1−1/d))∈(0,1) is a relevant exponent in branched transport, associated with the exponent α>1−1/d appearing in the cost). We are not able to prove the lower bound, but we conjecture that ∂A is of non-integer dimension d−β. Finally, we make an attempt to compute numerically an optimal shape, using an adaptation of the phase-field approximation of branched transport introduced some years ago by Oudet and the second author.