Rank-one convexity vs. ellipticity for isotropic functions

It is well known that a twice-differentiable real-valued function $W:\operatorname{GL}^+(n)\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ on the group $\operatorname{GL}^+(n)$ of invertible $n\times n-$matrices with positive determinant is rank-one convex if and only if it is Legendre-Hadamard elliptic. Many energy functions arising from interesting applications in isotropic nonlinear elasticity, however, are not necessarily twice differentiable everywhere on $\operatorname{GL}^+(n)$, especially at points with non-simple singular values. Here, we show that if an isotropic function $W$ on $\operatorname{GL}^+(n)$ is twice differentiable at each $F\in\operatorname{GL}^+(n)$ with simple singular values and Legendre-Hadamard elliptic at each such $F$, then $W$ is already rank-one convex under strongly reduced regularity assumptions. In particular, this generalization makes (local) ellipticity criteria accessible as criteria for (global) rank-one convexity to a wider class of elastic energy potentials expressed in terms of ordered singular values. Our results are also directly applicable to so-called conformally invariant energy functions. We also discuss a classical ellipticity criterion for the planar case by Knowles and Sternberg which has often been used in the literature as a criterion for global rank-one convexity and show that for this purpose, it is still applicable under weakened regularity assumptions.

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