Non-local non-homogeneous phase transitions: regularity of optimal profiles and sharp-interface limit

We provide a novel sharp-interface analysis via Gamma-convergence for a non-local and non-homogeneous diffuse-interface model for phase transitions, featuring an interplay between a non-local interaction kernel and a spatially dependent double-well potential. This interaction requires the development of new strategies both for the Gamma-liminf inequality and for the construction of recovery sequences. A key element of our approach is an asymptotic calibration, used to establish the Gamma-liminf lower bound. The study of the optimality of the lower bound hinges upon a novel analysis of the regularity dependence of one-dimensional optimal profiles on a family of parameters. In particular, we show how such regularity is influenced by the singularity of the interaction kernel at the origin, providing a precise and previously unexplored link between the two. Our results rely solely on the assumption of Hölder continuity for the moving wells, and also account for the compactness of sequences with equibounded energies.