The Willmore energy and the magnitude of Euclidean domains
arXiv:2109.10097 · doi:10.1090/proc/16163
Abstract
We study the geometric significance of Leinster's notion of magnitude for a compact metric space. For a smooth, compact domain in an odd-dimensional Euclidean space, we show that the asymptotic expansion of the magnitude function at infinity determines the Willmore energy of the boundary. This disproves the Leinster-Willerton conjecture for a compact convex body in all odd dimensions.
10 pages, to appear in Proceedings of the AMS