Fourth-order parabolic equations with weak BMO coefficients in Reifenberg domains

We study optimal W2,p-regularity for fourth-order parabolic equations with discontinuous coefficients in general domains. We obtain the global W2,p-regularity for each 1<p<∞ under the assumption that the coefficients have suitably small BMO semi-norm of weak type and the boundary of the domain is δ-Reifenberg flat. The situation of our main theorem arises when the conductivity on fractals is controlled by a random variable in the time direction.     

Gradient estimates for higher order elliptic equations on nonsmooth domains

We establish optimal gradient estimates in Orlicz space for a nonhomogeneous elliptic equation of higher order with discontinuous coefficients on a nonsmooth domain. Our assumption is that for each point and for each sufficiently small scale the coefficients have small mean oscillation and the boundary of the domain is sufficiently close to a hyperplane. As a consequence we prove the classical Wm,p, m=1,2,…, 1<p<∞, estimates for such a higher order equation. Our results easily extend to higher order elliptic and parabolic systems.     

Gradient estimates for elliptic systems in non-smooth domains

We obtain the global W ^1,p , 1 < p < ∞, estimate for the weak solution of an elliptic system with discontinuous coefficients in non-smooth domains without using maximal function approach. It is assumed that the boundary of a bounded domain is well approximated by hyperplanes at every point and at every scale, and that the tensor coefficients belong to BMO space with their BMO semi-norms sufficiently small. S.-S. Byun was supported in part by KRF-2006-C00034 and L. Wang was supported in part by NSF Grant 0701392.     

Parabolic equations in time dependent Reifenberg domains

In this paper we define time dependent parabolic Reifenberg domains and study Lp estimates for weak solutions of uniformly parabolic equations in divergence form on these domains. The basic assumption is that the principal coefficients are of parabolic BMO space with small parabolic BMO seminorms. It is shown that Lp estimates hold for time dependent parabolic δ-Reifenberg domains.     

Global weighted estimates for the gradient of solutions to nonlinear elliptic equations

We consider nonlinear elliptic equations of p  -Laplacian type that are not necessarily of variation form when the nonlinearity is allowed to be discontinuous and the boundary of the domain can go beyond the Lipschitz category. Under smallness in the BMO nonlinearity and sufficient flatness of the Reifenberg domain, we obtain the global weighted L^q$L^q$ estimates with q∈(p,∞)$q\in (p,\infty )$ for the gradient of weak solutions.     

Global weighted estimates for quasilinear elliptic equations with non-standard growth

In this paper we obtain a new global gradient estimates in weighted Lorentz spaces for weak solutions of p(x)$p(x)$-Laplacian type equation with small BMO coefficients in a δ-Reifenberg flat domain. The modified Vitali covering lemma, the maximal function technique and the appropriate localization method are the main analytical tools. Our results improve the known results for such equations.     

Parabolic equations with BMO coefficients in Lipschitz domains

In this paper, we are concerned with certain natural Sobolev-type estimates for weak solutions of inhomogeneous problems for second-order parabolic equations in divergence form. The geometric setting is that of time-independent cylinders having a space intersection assumed to be locally given by graphs with small Lipschitz coefficients, the constants of the operator being uniformly parabolic. We prove the relevant L^p estimates, assuming that the coefficients are in parabolic bounded mean oscillation (BMO) and that their parabolic BMO semi-norms are small enough.     

Hessian estimates in Orlicz spaces for fourth-order parabolic systems in non-smooth domains

We establish the global Hessian estimate in Orlicz spaces for a fourth-order parabolic system with discontinuous tensor coefficients in a non-smooth domain under the assumptions that the coefficients have small weak BMO semi-norms, the boundary of a domain is δ-Reifenberg flat for δ>0 small and the given Young function satisfies some moderate growth condition. As a corollary we obtain an optimal global W2,p regularity for such a system.     

Multiplicity of solutions for a quasilinear elliptic problem via the cohomological index

In this paper we study a quasilinear elliptic problem with the Dirichlet boundary condition in a bounded domain involving the operator Au=−Δ_pu−Δ_qu. Assuming that the nonlinearity has a concave-convex behavior we obtain some multiplicity results. More precisely, we obtain five nontrivial solutions; two by a minimization argument, two by the mountain pass theorem, and the other by a cohomological linking theorem.     

Coincidence sets in quasilinear elliptic problems of monostable type

This paper concerns the formation of a coincidence set for the positive solution of the boundary value problem: −εΔpu=uq−1f(a(x)−u) in Ω with u=0 on ∂Ω, where ε is a positive parameter, Δpu=div(|∇u|^p−2∇u), 1<q?p<∞, f(s)∼|s|^θ−1s(s→0) for some θ>0 and a(x) is a positive smooth function satisfying Δpa=0 in Ω with infΩ|∇a|>0. It is proved in this paper that if 0<θ<1 the coincidence set Oε={x∈Ω:uε(x)=a(x)} has a positive measure for small ε and converges to Ω with order O(ε1/p) as ε→0. Moreover, it is also shown that if θ?1, then Oε is empty for any ε>0. The proofs rely on comparison theorems and the energy method for obtaining local comparison functions.     

Lane-Emden-Fowler equations with convection and singular potential

We are concerned with singular elliptic problems of the form −Δu±p(d(x))g(u)=λf(x,u)+μa|∇u| in Ω, where Ω is a smooth bounded domain in RN, d(x)=dist(x,∂Ω), λ>0, μ∈R, 0<a?2, and f is a nondecreasing function. We assume that p(d(x)) is a positive weight with possible singular behavior on the boundary of Ω and that the nonlinearity g is unbounded around the origin. Taking into account the competition between the anisotropic potential p(d(x)), the convection term a|∇u|, and the singular nonlinearity g, we establish various existence and nonexistence results.     

Elliptic equations with measurable coefficients in Reifenberg domains

We prove W1,p estimates for elliptic equations in divergence form under the assumption that for each point and for each sufficiently small scale there is a coordinate system so that the coefficients have small oscillation in (n−1) directions. We assume the boundary to be δ-Reifenberg flat and the coefficients having small oscillation in the flat direction of the boundary.     

Global regularity for divergence form elliptic equations on quasiconvex domains

In this paper, we introduce a notion of quasiconvex domain, and show that the global W1,p regularity holds on such domains for a wide class of divergence form elliptic equations. The modified Vitali covering lemma, compactness method and the maximal function technique are the main analytical tools.     

Concentrating solutions for a planar elliptic problem involving nonlinearities with large exponent

We consider the boundary value problem Δu+up=0 in a bounded, smooth domain Ω in R² with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition and p a large exponent. We find topological conditions on Ω which ensure the existence of a positive solution up concentrating at exactly m points as p→∞. In particular, for a nonsimply connected domain such a solution exists for any given m?1.     

Oscillatory radial solutions for subcritical biharmonic equations

It is well known that the biharmonic equation Δ²u=u|u|^p−1 with p∈(1,∞) has positive solutions on Rn if and only if the growth of the nonlinearity is critical or supercritical. We close a gap in the existing literature by proving the existence and uniqueness, up to scaling and symmetry, of oscillatory radial solutions on Rn in the subcritical case. Analyzing the nodal properties of these solutions, we also obtain precise information about sign-changing large radial solutions and radial solutions of the Dirichlet problem on a ball.     

Nonlinear gradient estimates for elliptic equations of general type

We study a very general model of nonvariational elliptic equations of p-Laplacian type. We prove the W ^1,q -estimates for each q > p regarding such a nonlinear elliptic equation in divergence form under the assumption that for each point and for each sufficiently small scale the nonlinearity is suitably close to a vector of the gradient in BMO space. In the same spirit our results can be easily extended to Orlicz spaces as well.     

The Perron method for p-harmonic functions in metric spaces

We use the Perron method to construct and study solutions of the Dirichlet problem for p-harmonic functions in proper metric measure spaces endowed with a doubling Borel measure supporting a weak (1,q)-Poincaré inequality (for some 1?q<p). The upper and lower Perron solutions are constructed for functions defined on the boundary of a bounded domain and it is shown that these solutions are p-harmonic in the domain. It is also shown that Newtonian (Sobolev) functions and continuous functions are resolutive, i.e. that their upper and lower Perron solutions coincide, and that their Perron solutions are invariant under perturbations of the function on a set of capacity zero. We further study the problem of resolutivity and invariance under perturbations for semicontinuous functions. We also characterize removable sets for bounded p-(super)harmonic functions.     

Regularity of Lipschitz free boundaries in two-phase problems for the p-Laplace operator

In this paper we study the regularity of the free boundary in a general two-phase free boundary problem for the p-Laplace operator and we prove, in particular, that Lipschitz free boundaries are C1,γ-smooth for some γ∈(0,1). As part of our argument, and which is of independent interest, we establish a Hopf boundary type principle for non-negative p-harmonic functions vanishing on a portion of the boundary of a Lipschitz domain.     

Sign-changing and constant-sign solutions for p-Laplacian problems with jumping nonlinearities

By variational methods, we prove the existence of a sign-changing solution for the p-Laplacian equation under Dirichlet boundary condition with jumping nonlinearity having relation to the Fu?ík spectrum of p-Laplacian. We also provide the multiple existence results for the p-Laplacian problems.     

Hölder estimates of p-harmonic extension operators

It is now a well-known fact that for 1<p<∞ the p-harmonic functions on domains in metric measure spaces equipped with a doubling measure supporting a (1,p)-Poincaré inequality are locally Hölder continuous. In this note we provide a characterization of domains in such metric spaces for which p-harmonic extensions of Hölder continuous boundary data are globally Hölder continuous. We also provide a link between this regularity property of the domain and the uniform p-fatness of the complement of the domain.