Mullins-Sekerka as the Wasserstein flow of the perimeter

Abstract

We prove the convergence of an implicit time discretization for the one-phase Mullins-Sekerka equation, possibly with additional non-local repulsion, proposed in [F. Otto, Arch. Rational Mech. Anal. 141 (1998) 63--103]. Our simple argument shows that the limit satisfies the equation in a distributional sense as well as an optimal energy-dissipation relation. The proof combines arguments from optimal transport, gradient flows & minimizing movements, and basic geometric measure theory.