A nonlocal transmission problem on a hybrid continuous-discrete domain

Abstract

We study a quadratic nonlocal variational problem on a hybrid domain formed by a compact interval and finitely many discrete points. The associated energy splits into continuous, discrete, and interface contributions. Our main estimate shows that the interface term yields a coercive coupling between the two phases and provides an equivalent hybrid norm. As a consequence, we prove existence and uniqueness of a minimizer for the corresponding variational problem and characterize it as the unique weak solution of the associated hybrid Euler--Lagrange system. The latter combines a nonlocal integral equation on the continuous component with a finite nonlocal algebraic system on the discrete nodes.