Let Ω be a smooth bounded axisymmetric set in R 3 . In this paper we investigate the existence of minimizers of the so-called neo-Hookean energy among a class of axisymmetric maps. Due to the appearance of a critical exponent in the energy we must face a problem of lack of compactness. Indeed as shown by an example of Conti-De Lellis in [12, Section 6], a phenomenon of concentration of energy can occur preventing the strong convergence in W 1,2 (Ω, R 3 ) of a minimizing sequence along with the equi-integrability of the cofactors of that sequence. We prove that this phenomenon can only take place on the axis of symmetry of the domain. Thus if we consider domains that do not contain the axis of symmetry then minimizers do exist. We also provide a partial description of the lack of compactness in terms of Cartesian currents. Then we study the case where Ω is not necessarily axisymmetric but the boundary data is affine. In that case if we do not allow cavitation (nor in the interior neither at the boundary) then the affine extension is the unique minimizer, that is, quadratic polyconvex energies are W 1,2 -quasiconvex in our admissible space. At last, in the case of an axisymmetric domain not containing its symmetry axis, we obtain for the first time the existence of weak solutions of the energy-momentum equations for 3D neo-Hookean materials.

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The study of singular perturbations of the Dirichlet energy is at the core of the phenomenological-description paradigm in soft condensed matter. Being able to pass to the limit plays a crucial role in the understanding of the geometric-driven profile of ground states. In this work we study, under very general assumptions, the convergence of minimizers towards harmonic maps. We show that the convergence is locally uniform up to the boundary, away from the lower dimensional singular set. Our results generalize related findings, most notably in the theory of liquid-crystals, to all dimensions n ≥ 3, and to general nonlinearities. Our proof follows a well-known scheme, relying on small energy estimate and monotonicity formula. It departs substantially from previous studies in the treatment of the small energy estimate at the boundary, since we do not rely on the specific form of the potential. In particular this extends existing results in 3-dimensional settings. In higher dimensions we also deal with additional difficulties concerning the boundary monotonicity formula.