Contacts

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Al-Khawarizmi (Bldg.1), Room 4118

Thuwal 23955-6900

Saudi Arabia

Office +966 (0) 12 808 0426

rita.ferreira@kaust.edu.sa

Rita A. Gonçalves Ferreira

Ph.D. in Mathematics, CMU & UNL

Rita Ferreira

I am a Research Scientist in the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering Division (CEMSE) of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). I am a member of Prof. Diogo Gomes's Group Non-linear PDEs & Viscosity Solutions Research Group @ KAUST.

Research

My research activities intersect applied and pure mathematics, and are driven by applications to physical and socio-economic sciences and engineering. My domain of specialization is based on variational and asymptotic techniques to study systems of PDEs and minimization problems arising in problems within mean-field games, material sciences, propagation of waves, and imaging.

Publications

Papers published in scientific international journals with peer reviewing

1. E. Davoli, R. Ferreira, and C. Kreisbeck
   Homogenization in BV of a model for layered composites in finite crystal plasticity. To appear in Adv. Calc. Var., 2019.
   [Preprint] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   In this work, we study the effective behavior of a two-dimensional variational model within finite crystal plasticity for high-contrast bilayered composites. Precisely, we consider materials arranged into periodically alternating thin horizontal strips of an elastically rigid component and a softer one with one active slip system. The energies arising from these modeling assumptions are of integral form, featuring linear growth and non-convex differential constraints. We approach this non-standard homogenization problem via Gamma-convergence. A crucial first step in the asymptotic analysis is the characterization of rigidity properties of limits of admissible deformations in the space BV of functions of bounded variation. In particular, we prove that, under suitable assumptions, the two-dimensional body may split horizontally into finitely many pieces, each of which undergoes shear deformation and global rotation. This allows us to identify a potential candidate for the homogenized limit energy, which we show to be a lower bound on the Gamma-limit. In the framework of non-simple materials, we present a complete Gamma-convergence result, including an explicit homogenization formula, for a regularized model with an anisotropic penalization in the layer direction.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   TBA

2. R. Ferreira and E. Zappale
   Bending-torsion moments in thin multi-structures in the context of nonlinear elasticity. To appear in Commun. Pure Appl. Anal., 2019.
   [Preprint] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   Here, we address a dimension-reduction problem in the context of nonlinear elasticity where the applied external surface forces induce bending-torsion moments. The underlying body is a multi-structure in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$ consisting of a thin tube-shaped domain placed upon a thin plate-shaped domain. The problem involves two small parameters, the radius of the cross-section of the tube-shaped domain and the thickness of the plate-shaped domain. We characterize the different limit models, including the limit junction condition, in the membrane-string regime according to the ratio between these two parameters as they converge to zero.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   TBA

3. R. Ferreira, D. Gomes, and T. Tada
   Existence of weak solutions to first-order stationary mean-field games with Dirichlet conditions. To appear in Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 2019.
   [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   In this paper, we study first-order stationary monotone mean-field games (MFGs) with Dirichlet boundary conditions. While for Hamilton-Jacobi equations Dirichlet conditions may not be satisfied, here, we establish the existence of solutions of MFGs that satisfy those conditions. To construct these solutions, we introduce a monotone regularized problem. Applying Schaefer's fixed-point theorem and using the monotonicity of the MFG, we verify that there exists a unique weak solution to the regularized problem. Finally, we take the limit of the solutions of the regularized problem and using Minty's method, we show the existence of weak solutions to the original MFG.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   TBA

4. R. Ferreira, P. Hästö, and A. Ribeiro
   Characterization of generalized Orlicz spaces. To appear in Communications in Contemporary Mathematics, 2018.
   [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   The norm in classical Sobolev spaces can be expressed as a difference quotient. This expression can be used to generalize the space to the fractional smoothness case. Because the difference quotient is based on shifting the function, it cannot be used in generalized Orlicz spaces. In its place, we introduce a smoothed difference quotient and show that it can be used to characterize the generalized Orlicz--Sobolev space. Our results are new even in Orlicz spaces and variable exponent spaces.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   TBA

5. R. Ferreira and D. Gomes
   Existence of Weak Solutions to Stationary Mean-Field Games through Variational Inequalities. SIAM J. Math. Anal., 50(6), 5969--6006 (2018).
   [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   Here, we consider stationary monotone mean-field games (MFGs) and study the existence of weak solutions. First, we introduce a regularized problem that preserves the monotonicity. Next, using variational inequality techniques, we prove the existence of solutions to the regularized problem. Then, using Minty's method, we establish the existence of solutions for the original MFG. Finally, we examine the properties of these weak solutions in several examples. Our methods provide a general framework to construct weak solutions to stationary MFGs with local, nonlocal, or congestion terms.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   TBA

6. D. Evangelista, R. Ferreira, D. Gomes, L. Nurbekyan, V. Voskanyan
   First-order, stationary mean-field games with congestion. Nonlinear Anal. 173, 37--74 (2018).
   [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   Mean-field games (MFGs) are models for large populations of competing rational agents that seek to optimize a suitable functional. In the case of congestion, this functional takes into account the difficulty of moving in high-density areas. Here, we study stationary MFGs with congestion with quadratic or power-like Hamiltonians. First, using explicit examples, we illustrate two main difficulties: the lack of classical solutions and the existence of areas with vanishing density. Our main contribution is a new variational formulation for MFGs with congestion. This formulation was not previously known, and, thanks to it, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions. Finally, we consider applications to numerical methods.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   @article {EvFeGoNuVo18,
   AUTHOR = {Evangelista, David and Ferreira, Rita and Gomes, Diogo A. and Nurbekyan, Levon and Voskanyan, Vardan},
   TITLE = {First-order, stationary mean-field games with congestion},
   JOURNAL = {Nonlinear Anal.},
   FJOURNAL = {Nonlinear Analysis. Theory, Methods \& Applications. An International Multidisciplinary Journal},
   VOLUME = {173},
   YEAR = {2018},
   PAGES = {37--74},
   ISSN = {0362-546X},
   MRCLASS = {35M30 (35A01 35Q91 91A12)},
   MRNUMBER = {3802565},
   DOI = {10.1016/j.na.2018.03.011},
   URL = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.na.2018.03.011}, }

7. R. Ferreira, I. Fonseca, and M.L. Mascarenhas
   A chromaticity-brightness model for color images denoising in a Meyer's "u + v'' framework. Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations 56, no. 5, Art. 140, 53 pp (2017).
   [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   A variational model for imaging segmentation and denoising color images is proposed. The model combines Meyer's "$u+v$" decomposition with a chromaticity-brightness framework and is expressed by a minimization of energy integral functionals depending on a small parameter $\epsilon >0$. The asymptotic behavior as $\mathrm{\epsilon \; \to }{0}^{+}$ is characterized, and convergence of infima, almost minimizers, and energies are established. In particular, an integral representation of the lower semicontinuous envelope, with respect to the $L^1$-norm, of functionals with linear growth and defined for maps taking values on a certain compact manifold is provided. This study escapes the realm of previous results since the underlying manifold has boundary, and the integrand and its recession function fail to satisfy hypotheses commonly assumed in the literature. The main tools are $\Gamma$-convergence and relaxation techniques.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   @article {FeFoMa17,
   AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Fonseca, Irene and Mascarenhas, M. Lu\'\i sa},
   TITLE = {A chromaticity-brightness model for color images denoising in a {M}eyer's ``u + v'' framework},
   JOURNAL = {Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations},
   FJOURNAL = {Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations},
   VOLUME = {56},
   YEAR = {2017},
   NUMBER = {5},
   PAGES = {Art. 140, 53},
   ISSN = {0944-2669},
   MRCLASS = {94A08 (26B30 49J45)},
   MRNUMBER = {3695373},
   DOI = {10.1007/s00526-017-1223-8},
   URL = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00526-017-1223-8}, }

8. N. Almulla, R. Ferreira, and D. Gomes
   Two numerical approaches to stationary mean-field games. Dyn. Games Appl. 7, no. 4, 657--682 (2017).
   [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   Here, we consider numerical methods for stationary mean-field games (MFG) and investigate two classes of algorithms. The first one is a gradient-flow method based on the variational characterization of certain MFG. The second one uses monotonicity properties of MFG. We illustrate our methods with various examples, including one-dimensional periodic MFG, congestion problems, and higher-dimensional models.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   @article {AlFeGo17,
   AUTHOR = {Almulla, Noha and Ferreira, Rita and Gomes, Diogo},
   TITLE = {Two numerical approaches to stationary mean-field games},
   JOURNAL = {Dyn. Games Appl.},
   FJOURNAL = {Dynamic Games and Applications},
   VOLUME = {7},
   YEAR = {2017},
   NUMBER = {4},
   PAGES = {657--682},
   ISSN = {2153-0785},
   MRCLASS = {91A13 (65N99)},
   MRNUMBER = {3698446},
   DOI = {10.1007/s13235-016-0203-5},
   URL = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s13235-016-0203-5}, }

9. N. Almayouf, E. Bachini, A. Chapouto, R. Ferreira, D. Gomes, D. Jordão, D. E. Junior, A. Karagulyan, J. Monasterio, L. Nurbekyan, G. Pagliar, M. Piccirilli, S. Pratapsi, M. Prazeres, J. Reis, A. Rodrigues, O. Romero, M. Sargsyan, T. Seneci, C. Song, K. Terai, R. Tomisaki, H. Velasco-Perez, V. Voskanyan, and X. Yang
   Existence of positive solutions for an approximation of stationary mean-field games. Involve 10, no. 3, 473-493 (2017).
   [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

   Here, we consider a regularized mean-field game model that features a low-order regularization. We prove the existence of solutions with positive density. To do so, we combine a priori estimates with the continuation method. In contrast with high-order regularizations, the low-order regularizations are easier to implement numerically. Moreover, our methods give a theoretical foundation for this approach.

   [Show/Hide BibTex]

   @article {AlBaChFeGoetall17,
   AUTHOR = {Almayouf, Nojood and Bachini, Elena and Chapouto, Andreia and Ferreira, Rita and Gomes, Diogo and et al.},
   TITLE = {Existence of positive solutions for an approximation of stationary mean-field games},
   JOURNAL = {Involve},
   FJOURNAL = {Involve. A Journal of Mathematics},
   VOLUME = {10},
   YEAR = {2017},
   NUMBER = {3},
   PAGES = {473--493},
   ISSN = {1944-4176},
   MRCLASS = {49L25 (35B25 35G50 35Q91 91A13 91A15)},
   MRNUMBER = {3583877},
   MRREVIEWER = {Zhou Zhou},
   DOI = {10.2140/involve.2017.10.473},
   URL = {https://doi.org/10.2140/involve.2017.10.473}, }

10. R. Ferreira, M.L. Mascarenhas, and A. Piatnitski
    Spectral analysis in thin tubes with axial heterogeneities. Port. Math. 72, no. 2, 247-266 (2015).
    [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    In this paper, we present the 3D-1D asymptotic analysis of the Dirichlet spectral problem associated with an elliptic operator with axial periodic heterogeneities. We extend to the 3D-1D case previous 3D-2D results (see [10]) and we analyze the special case where the scale of thickness is much smaller than the scale of the heterogeneities and the planar coefficient has a unique global minimum in the periodic cell. These results are of great relevance in the comprehension of the wave propagation in nanowires showing axial heterogeneities (see [17]).
    
    [10] R. Ferreira, M. L. Mascarenhas, and A. Piatnitski, Spectral analysis in a thin domain with periodically oscillating characteristics. ESAIM Control Optim. Calc. Var. 18, 2 (2012), 427-451.
    
    [17] L. J. Lauhon, M. S. Gudiksen, and C. M. Lieber, Semiconductor nanowire heterostructures. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. A-Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 362, 1819 (2004), 1247-1260.

    [Show/Hide BibTex]

    @article {FeMaPi15,
    AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Mascarenhas, M. Lu\'{i}sa and Piatnitski, Andrey},
    TITLE = {Spectral analysis in thin tubes with axial heterogeneities},
    JOURNAL = {Port. Math.},
    FJOURNAL = {Portugaliae Mathematica. A Journal of the Portuguese Mathematical Society},
    VOLUME = {72},
    YEAR = {2015},
    NUMBER = {2-3},
    PAGES = {247--266},
    ISSN = {0032-5155},
    MRCLASS = {35P20 (35J25 47A75 49R05)},
    MRNUMBER = {3395451},
    MRREVIEWER = {Juan Casado-D\'{i}az},
    DOI = {10.4171/PM/1967},
    URL = {https://doi.org/10.4171/PM/1967}, }

11. R. Ferreira, C. Kreisbeck, and A.M. Ribeiro
    Characterization of polynomials and higher-order Sobolev spaces in terms of functionals involving difference quotients. Nonlinear Anal. 112, 199-214 (2015).
    [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    The aim of this paper, which deals with a class of singular functionals involving difference quotients, is twofold: deriving suitable integral conditions under which a measurable function is polynomial and stating necessary and sufficient criteria for an integrable function to belong to a $k$th-order Sobolev space. One of the main theorems is a new characterization of $W^{k,p}(\mathrm{\Omega })$, $k\in \mathbb{N}$ and $p\in (1,+\mathrm{\infty })$, for arbitrary open sets $\mathrm{\Omega }\subset {\mathbb{R}}^n$. In particular, we provide natural generalizations of the results regarding Sobolev spaces summarized in Brézis' overview article [Russ. Math. Surv. 57 (2002), pp. 693--708] to the higher-order case, and extend the work by Borghol [Asymptotic Anal. 51 (2007), pp. 303--318] to a more general setting.

    [Show/Hide BibTex]

    @article {FeKrRi15,
    AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Kreisbeck, Carolin and Ribeiro, Ana Margarida},
    TITLE = {Characterization of polynomials and higher-order {S}obolev spaces in terms of functionals involving difference quotients},
    JOURNAL = {Nonlinear Anal.},
    FJOURNAL = {Nonlinear Analysis. Theory, Methods \& Applications. An International Multidisciplinary Journal},
    VOLUME = {112},
    YEAR = {2015},
    PAGES = {199--214},
    ISSN = {0362-546X},
    MRCLASS = {46E35},
    MRNUMBER = {3274293},
    MRREVIEWER = {Sara Barile},
    DOI = {10.1016/j.na.2014.09.007},
    URL = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.na.2014.09.007}, }

12. R. Ferreira and D. Gomes
    On the convergence of finite state mean-field games through Γ-convergence. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 418, no. 1, 211-230 (2014).
    [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    In this study, we consider the long-term convergence (trend toward an equilibrium) of finite state mean-field games using $\Gamma$-convergence. Our techniques are based on the observation that an important class of mean-field games can be viewed as the Euler-Lagrange equation of a suitable functional. Therefore, using a scaling argument, one can convert a long-term convergence problem into a $\Gamma$-convergence problem. Our results generalize previous results related to long-term convergence for finite state problems.

    [Show/Hide BibTex]

    @article {FeGo14,
    AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Gomes, Diogo A.},
    TITLE = {On the convergence of finite state mean-field games through {$\Gamma$}-convergence},
    JOURNAL = {J. Math. Anal. Appl.},
    FJOURNAL = {Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications},
    VOLUME = {418},
    YEAR = {2014},
    NUMBER = {1},
    PAGES = {211--230},
    ISSN = {0022-247X},
    MRCLASS = {49J45 (91A13)},
    MRNUMBER = {3198874},
    MRREVIEWER = {Michael Helmers},
    DOI = {10.1016/j.jmaa.2014.02.044},
    URL = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmaa.2014.02.044}, }

13. R. Ferreira and I. Fonseca
    Reiterated Homogenization in BV via Multiscale Convergence. SIAM J. Math. Anal. 44 , no. 3, 2053-2098 (2012).
    [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    Multiple-scale homogenization problems are treated in the space $BV$ of functions of bounded variation, using the notion of multiple-scale convergence developed in [J. Convex Anal. 19 (2012), no. 2, pp. 403--452] by the authors. In the case of one microscale, Amar's result [Asymptot. Anal. 16 (1998), pp. 65--84] is recovered under more general conditions; for two or more microscales, new results are obtained.

    [Show/Hide BibTex]

    @article {FeFo12a,
    AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Fonseca, Irene},
    TITLE = {Reiterated homogenization in {$BV$} via multiscale convergence},
    JOURNAL = {SIAM J. Math. Anal.},
    FJOURNAL = {SIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis},
    VOLUME = {44},
    YEAR = {2012},
    NUMBER = {3},
    PAGES = {2053--2098},
    ISSN = {0036-1410},
    MRCLASS = {49J45 (35B27)},
    MRNUMBER = {2982742},
    MRREVIEWER = {Luca Lussardi},
    DOI = {10.1137/110826205},
    URL = {https://doi.org/10.1137/110826205}, }

14. R. Ferreira and I. Fonseca
    Characterization of the Multiscale Limit Associated with Bounded Sequences in BV. J. Convex Anal. 19, no. 2, 403-452 (2012).
    [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    The notion of two-scale convergence for sequences of Radon measures with finite total variation is generalized to the case of multiple periodic length scales of oscillations. The main result concerns the characterization of $(n+1)$-scale limit pairs $(u,U)$ of sequences $\{(u_{\epsilon }{{ℒ}^N}_{\lfloor \Omega },{D{u}_{\epsilon }}_{\lfloor \Omega }){\}}_{\epsilon >0}$ $\subset ℳ(\Omega ;{ℝ}^d)\times ℳ(\Omega ;{ℝ}^{d\times N})$ whenever $\{u_{\epsilon }{\}}_{\epsilon >0}$ is a bounded sequence in $BV(\Omega ;{ℝ}^d)$ . This characterization is useful in the study of the asymptotic behavior of periodically oscillating functionals with linear growth, defined in the space $BV$ of functions of bounded variation and described by $n\in \mathbb{N}$ microscales, undertaken in another paper of the authors [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 44 (2012), no. 3, pp. 2053--2098].

    [Show/Hide BibTex]

    @article {FeFo12b,
    AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Fonseca, Irene},
    TITLE = {Characterization of the multiscale limit associated with bounded sequences in {$BV$}},
    JOURNAL = {J. Convex Anal.},
    FJOURNAL = {Journal of Convex Analysis},
    VOLUME = {19},
    YEAR = {2012},
    NUMBER = {2},
    PAGES = {403--452},
    ISSN = {0944-6532},
    MRCLASS = {28A33 (26B30 28B05 35B27 74Q05)},
    MRNUMBER = {2987854}, }

15. R. Ferreira, M.L. Mascarenhas, and A. Piatnitski
    Spectral Analysis in a Thin Domain with Periodically Oscillating Characteristics. ESAIM Control Optim. Calc. Var. 18, no. 2, 427--451 (2012).
    [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    The paper deals with a Dirichlet spectral problem for an elliptic operator with $\epsilon$-periodic coefficients in a 3D bounded domain of small thickness $\delta$. We study the asymptotic behavior of the spectrum as $\epsilon$ and $\delta$ tend to zero. This asymptotic behavior depends crucially on whether $\epsilon$ and $\delta$ are of the same order $(\delta \approx \epsilon )$, or $\epsilon$ is much less than $\delta$ $(\delta ={\epsilon }^{\tau }$, $\tau <1$), or $\epsilon$ is much greater than $\delta$ ($\delta ={\epsilon }^{\tau }$, $\tau >1$). We consider all three cases.

    [Show/Hide BibTex]

    @article {FeMaPi12,
    AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Mascarenhas, M. Lu\'{i}sa and Piatnitski, Andrey},
    TITLE = {Spectral analysis in a thin domain with periodically oscillating characteristics},
    JOURNAL = {ESAIM Control Optim. Calc. Var.},
    FJOURNAL = {ESAIM. Control, Optimisation and Calculus of Variations},
    VOLUME = {18},
    YEAR = {2012},
    NUMBER = {2},
    PAGES = {427--451},
    ISSN = {1292-8119},
    MRCLASS = {35P20 (35B27 35J05 49R05)},
    MRNUMBER = {2954633},
    DOI = {10.1051/cocv/2011100},
    URL = {https://doi.org/10.1051/cocv/2011100}, }

16. R. Ferreira and M.L. Mascarenhas
    Waves in a thin and periodically oscillating medium. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 346, no. 9-10, 579-584 (2008).
    [Preprint] [Article] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    We study the asymptotic behavior of the spectrum of an elliptic operator with periodically oscillating coefficients, in a thin domain, with vanishing Dirichlet conditions. Two cases are treated: the case where the periodicity of the oscillations and the thickness of the domain have the same order of magnitude and the case where the oscillations have a frequency much greater than the thickness of the domain. A physical motivation can be to understand the behavior of the probability density associated to the wave function of a particle confined to a very thin domain, with periodically varying characteristics.

    [Show/Hide BibTex]

    @article {FeMa08,
    AUTHOR = {Ferreira, Rita and Mascarenhas, M. Lu\'{i}sa},
    TITLE = {Waves in a thin and periodically oscillating medium},
    JOURNAL = {C. R. Math. Acad. Sci. Paris},
    FJOURNAL = {Comptes Rendus Math\'{e}matique. Acad\'{e}mie des Sciences. Paris},
    VOLUME = {346},
    YEAR = {2008},
    NUMBER = {9-10},
    PAGES = {579--584},
    ISSN = {1631-073X},
    MRCLASS = {74Q10},
    MRNUMBER = {2412801},
    DOI = {10.1016/j.crma.2008.03.007},
    URL = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crma.2008.03.007}, }

    Papers submitted to scientific international journals with peer reviewing

17. R. Ferreira, D. Gomes, and X. Yang
    Two-scale homogenization of a stationary mean-field game. Submitted, 2019.
    [Preprint] [Show/Hide Abstract]

    In this paper, we characterize the asymptotic behavior of a first-order stationary mean-field game (MFG) with a logarithm coupling, a quadratic Hamiltonian, and a periodically oscillating potential. This study falls into the realm of the homogenization theory, and our main tool is the two-scale convergence. Using this convergence, we rigorously derive the two-scale homogenized and the homogenized MFG problems, which encode the so-called macroscopic or effective behavior of the original oscillating MFG. Moreover, we prove existence and uniqueness of the solution to these limit problems.

    Theses

18. R. Ferreira
    Spectral and Homogenization Problems. Ph.D. Thesis Dissertation, Carnegie Mellon University and Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Pittsburgh and Lisbon, 2011.

19. R. Ferreira
    Dimension Reduction in Nonlinear Elasticity via Gamma-Convergence. Master Thesis Dissertation, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (College of Science of the University of Lisbon), Lisbon, 2006.

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