Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 June 2013
We establish some new results about the Γ-limit, with respect to the L1-topology, of two different (but related) phase-field approximations \hbox{$\{\mathcal E_\eps\}_\eps,\,\{\widetilde{\mathcalE}_\eps\}_\eps$}{ℰε}ε, {ℰε}ε of the so-called Euler’s Elastica Bending Energy for curves in the plane. In particular we characterize the Γ-limit as ε → 0 of ℰε, and show that in general the Γ-limits of ℰε and \hbox{$\widetilde{\mathcal E}_\eps$}ℰε do not coincide on indicator functions of sets with non-smooth boundary. More precisely we show that the domain of the Γ-limit of \hbox{$\widetilde{\mathcal E}_\eps$}ℰε strictly contains the domain of the Γ-limit of ℰε.