From Handwiki Phase-field models on graphs are a discrete analogue to phase-field models, defined on a graph. They are used in image analysis (for feature identification) and for the segmentation of social networks.
For a graph with vertices V and edge weights [math]\displaystyle{ \omega_{i,j} }[/math], the graph Ginzburg–Landau functional of a map [math]\displaystyle{ u:V\to \mathbb{R} }[/math] is given by
where W is a double well potential, for example the quartic potential W(x) = x2(1 − x2). The graph Ginzburg–Landau functional was introduced by Bertozzi and Flenner. [1] In analogy to continuum phase-field models, where regions with u close to 0 or 1 are models for two phases of the material, vertices can be classified into those with uj close to 0 or close to 1, and for small [math]\displaystyle{ \varepsilon }[/math], minimisers of [math]\displaystyle{ F_\varepsilon }[/math] will satisfy that uj is close to 0 or 1 for most nodes, splitting the nodes into two classes.
To effectively minimise [math]\displaystyle{ F_\varepsilon }[/math], a natural approach is by gradient flow (steepest descent). This means to introduce an artificial time parameter and to solve the graph version of the Allen–Cahn equation,
where [math]\displaystyle{ \Delta }[/math] is the graph Laplacian. The ordinary continuum Allen–Cahn equation and the graph Allen–Cahn equation are natural counterparts, just replacing ordinary calculus by calculus on graphs. A convergence result for a numerical graph Allen–Cahn scheme has been established by Luo and Bertozzi.[2]
It is also possible to adapt other computational schemes for mean curvature flow, for example schemes involving thresholding like the Merriman–Bence–Osher scheme, to a graph setting, with analogous results.[3]
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Categories: [Graph theory] [Mathematical modeling]