On positivity of solutions of degenerate boundary value problems for second-order elliptic equations

In this paper we study thedegenerate mixed boundary value problem:Pu=f in Ω,B _u =gon Ω∂Г where ω is a domain in ℝ ⁿ ,P is a second order linear elliptic operator with real coefficients, Γ⊆∂Ω is a relatively closed set, andB is an oblique boundary operator defined only on ∂Ω/Γ which is assumed to be a smooth part of the boundary. The aim of this research is to establish some basic results concerning positive solutions. In particular, we study the solvability of the above boundary value problem in the class of nonnegative functions, and properties of the generalized principal eigenvalue, the ground state, and the Green function associated with this problem. The notion of criticality and subcriticality for this problem is introduced, and a criticality theory for this problem is established. The analogs for the generalized Dirichlet boundary value problem, where Γ=∂Ω, were examined intensively by many authors.     

Regularity of a free boundary problem

Let u be the Newtonian potential of a real analytic distribution in an open set Ω. In this paper we assume u is analytically continuable from the complement of Ω into some neighborhood of a point x₀ ∈ ∂Ω, and we study conditions under which the analytic continuation implies that ∂Ω is a real analytic hypersurface in some neighborhood of x₀.     

Spectral stability of the Robin Laplacian

We consider the Robin Laplacian in two bounded regions Ω₁ and Ω₂ of ℝ ^N with Lipschitz boundaries and such that Ω₂ ⊂ Ω₁, and we obtain two-sided estimates for the eigenvalues λ _n,2 of the Robin Laplacian in Ω₂ via the eigenvalues λ _{n, 1} of the Robin Laplacian in Ω₁. Our estimates depend on the measure of the set difference Ω\Ω₂ and on suitably defined characteristics of vicinity of the boundaries ∂Ω₁ and ∂Ω₂, and of the functions defined on ∂Ω₁ and on ∂Ω₂ that enter the Robin boundary conditions.     

Solution to the boundary blowup problem for k-curvature equation

We consider the boundary blowup problem for k-curvature equation, i.e., H _k [u] = f(u) g(|Du|) in an n-dimensional domain Ω, with the boundary condition u(x) → ∞ as dist (x,∂Ω) → 0. We prove the existence result under some hypotheses. We also establish the asymptotic behavior of a solution near the boundary ∂Ω. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) 35J65, 35B40, 53C21     

Cluster sets for sobolev functions and quasiminimizers

In this paper, we study cluster sets and essential cluster sets for Sobolev functions and quasiharmonic functions (i.e., continuous quasiminimizers). We develop their basic theory with a particular emphasis on when they coincide and when they are connected. As a main result, we obtain that if a Sobolev function u on an open set Ω has boundary values f in Sobolev sense and f |_∂Ω is continuous at x ₀ ∈ ∂Ω, then the essential cluster set (u, x ₀,Ω) is connected. We characterize precisely in which metric spaces this result holds. Further, we provide some new boundary regularity results for quasiharmonic functions. Most of the results are new also in the Euclidean case.     

Scattering Rigidity for Analytic Riemannian Manifolds with a Possible Magnetic Field

Consider a compact manifold M with boundary ∂ M endowed with a Riemannian metric g and a magnetic field Ω. Given a point and direction of entry at the boundary, the scattering relation Σ determines the point and direction of exit of a particle of unit charge, mass, and energy. In this paper we show that a magnetic system (M,∂ M,g,Ω) that is known to be real-analytic and that satisfies some mild restrictions on conjugate points is uniquely determined up to a natural equivalence by Σ. In the case that the magnetic field Ω is taken to be zero, this gives a new rigidity result in Riemannian geometry that is more general than related results in the literature.     

On homogenization of the mixed boundary-value problem for the heat equation in a domain whose part contains channels arranged in a periodic way

In this paper, we study the asymptotic behavior of the solutionsu _ε (ε is a small parameter) of boundaryvalue problems for the heat equation in the domain Ω_ε=Ω⁻∪Ω _ε ⁺ ∪γ one part of which (Ω _ε ⁺ ) contains ε-periodically situated channels with diameters of order ε and the other part of which (Ω⁺) is a homogeneous medium; γ=∂Ω _ε ⁺ ∩∂Ω⁺. On the boundary of the channels the Neumann boundary condition is posed, and on ∂Ω_ε∩∂Ω the Dirichlet boundary condition is prescribed. The homogenized problem is the Dirichlet problem in Ω with the transmission condition on γ. The estimates for the difference betweenu _ε and the solution of the homogenized problem are obtained. Bibliography: 14 titles. Translated from Trudy Seminara imeni I. G. Petrovskogo, No. 20, pp. 27–47, 1997.     

Convex hull theorem for multiply connected domains in the plane with an estimate of the quasiconformal constant

For any multiply connected domain Ω in R2, let S be the boundary of the convex hull in H3 of R2\Ω which faces Ω. Suppose in addition that there exists a lower bound l > 0 of the hyperbolic lengths of closed geodesics in Ω. Then there is always a K-quasiconformal mapping from S to Ω, which extends continuously to the identity on S = Ω, where K depends only on l. We also give a numerical estimate of K by using the parameter l.     

On the steady Navier–Stokes boundary value problem in an unbounded 2D domain with arbitrary fluxes through the components of the boundary

We prove the existence of a weak solution to the steady Navier–Stokes problem in a 2D domain Ω, whose boundary ∂Ω consists of two unbounded components Γ ₋ and Γ ₊. We impose an inhomogeneous Dirichlet—type boundary condition on ∂Ω. The condition implies no restriction on fluxes of the solution through the components Γ ₋ and Γ ₊.     

Reduced measures associated with parabolic problems

We study the existence and the properties of reduced measures for the parabolic equations ∂ _t u − Δu + g(u) = 0 in Ω × (0, ∞) subject to the conditions (P): u = 0 on ∂Ω × (0, ∞), u(x, 0) = μ and (P′): u = μ′ on ∂Ω × (0, ∞), u(x, 0) = 0, where μ and μ′ are positive Radon measures and g is a continuous nondecreasing function.     

Quasiconformal and harmonic mappings between Jordan domains

Let Ω and Ω₁ be Jordan domains, let μ ∈ (0, 1], and let be a harmonic homeomorphism. The object of the paper is to prove the following results: (a) If f is q.c. and ∂Ω, ∂Ω₁ ∈ C ^1,μ , then f is Lipschitz; (b) if f is q.c., ∂Ω, ∂Ω₁ ∈ C ^1,μ and Ω₁ is convex, then f is bi-Lipschitz; and (c) if Ω is the unit disk, Ω₁ is convex, and ∂Ω₁ ∈ C ^1,μ , then f is quasiconformal if and only if its boundary function is bi-Lipschitz and the Hilbert transform of its derivative is in L ^∞. These extend the results of Pavlović (Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn. 27:365–372, 2002).      

Estimates of the Bergman kernel for some pseudoconvex domains

Denote by K_ω(z, ζ) the Bergman kernel of a pseudoconvex domain Ω. For some classes of domains Ω, a relationship is found between the rate of increase of K_ω(z, z) as z tends to ∂Ω, and a purely geometric property of Ω. Bibliography: 5 titles. Translated fromZapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 222, 1995, pp. 222–245.     

Exact propagators for some degenerate hyperbolic operators

Exact propagators are obtained for the degenerate second order hyperbolic operators ∂² _t -t ^2l Δ _x , l=1,2,..., by analytic continuation from the degenerate elliptic operators ∂² _t +t ^2l Δ _x . The partial Fourier transforms are also obtained in closed form, leading to integral transform formulas for certain combinations of Bessel functions and modified Bessel functions.     

Degenerate triply nonlinear problems with nonhomogeneous boundary conditions

The paper addresses the existence and uniqueness of entropy solutions for the degenerate triply nonlinear problem: b(v) _t − div α(v, ▽g(v)) = f on Q:= (0, T) × Ω with the initial condition b(v(0, ·)) = b(v ₀) on Ω and the nonhomogeneous boundary condition “v = u” on some part of the boundary (0, T) × ∂Ω”. The function g is continuous locally Lipschitz continuous and has a flat region [A ₁, A ₂,] with A ₁ ≤ 0 ≤ A ₂ so that the problem is of parabolic-hyperbolic type.     

The Singularities of the Distance Function Near Convex Boundary Points

In an open bounded set Ω, we consider the distance function from ∂Ω associated to a Riemannian metric with C ^1,1 coefficients. Assuming that Ω is convex near a boundary point x ₀, we show that the distance function is differentiable at x ₀ if and only if there exists the tangent space to ∂Ω at x ₀. Furthermore, if the distance function is not differentiable at x ₀ then there exists a Lipschitz continuous curve, with initial point at x ₀, such that the distance function is not differentiable along such a curve.      

W 2,p -a priori estimates for the emergent Poincaré Problem

We derive W ^2,p (Ω)-a priori estimates with arbitrary p ∈(1, ∞), for the solutions of a degenerate oblique derivative problem for linear uniformly elliptic operators with low regular coefficients. The boundary operator is given in terms of directional derivative with respect to a vector field ℓ that is tangent to ∂Ω at the points of a non-empty set ε ⊂ ∂Ω and is of emergent type on ∂Ω.      

Positive versus free boundary solutions to a singular elliptic equation

The equation-δu = χ uo(-1/u^Β + λf (x, u)) in Ω with Dirichlet boundary condition on ∂Ω has a maximal solution uλ ≥0 for every λ 0. For λ less than a constant λ*, the solution vanishes inside the domain; and for λ λ*, the solution is positive. We obtain optimal regularity ofuλ even in the presence of the free boundary. Supported in part by H. J. Sussmann’s NSF Grant DMS01-03901. Supported by FAPESP. He also thanks Rutgers University.     

Hypersurfaces of prescribed mean curvature enclosing a given body

Given a smooth domain Ω in ℝ ^m+1 with compact closure and a smooth integrable functionh: ℝ ^m+1→ℝ satisfyingh(x)≥H _∂Ω (x) on ∂Ω whereH _∂ω denotes the mean curvature of ∂Ω calculated w.r.t. the interior unit normal we show that there is a setA⊂ℝ ^m+1 with the properties andH _∂A=h on ∂A.     

Boundaries of singularity sets, removable singularities, and CR-invariant subsets of CR-manifolds

Let Ω be a bounded strictly pseudoconvex domain in ℂⁿ, n ≥ 3, with boundary ∂Ω, of class C². A compact subset K is called removable if any analytic function in a suitable small neighborhood of ∂Ω K extends to an analytic function in Ω. We obtain sufficient conditions for removability in geometric terms under the condition that K is contained in a generic C² -submanifold M of co-dimension one in ∂Ω. The result uses information on the global geometry of the decomposition of a CR-manifold into CR-orbits, which may be of some independent interest. The minimal obstructions for removability contained in M are compact sets K of two kinds. Either K is the boundary of a complex variety of co-dimension one in Ω or it is an exceptional minimal CR-invariant subset of M, which is a certain analog of exceptional minimal sets in co-dimension one foliations. It is shown by an example that the latter possibility may occur as a nonremovable singularity set. Further examples show that the germ of envelopes of holomorphy of neighborhoods of ∞Ω K for K ⊂ M may be multisheeted. A couple of open problems are discussed.     

Punishing Factors for Finitely Connected Domains

Let Ω and Π be two finitely connected hyperbolic domains in the complex plane \Bbb C{\Bbb C} and let R(z, Ω) denote the hyperbolic radius of Ω at z and R(w, Π) the hyperbolic radius of Π at w. We consider functions f that are analytic in Ω and such that all values f(z) lie in the domain Π. This set of analytic functions is denoted by A(Ω, Π). We prove among other things that the quantities C_n(W,P) := sup_{f ? A(W,P)}sup_{z ? W}\frac|f⁽ⁿ⁾(z)| R(f(z),P)n! (R(z,W))ⁿC_n(\Omega,\Pi)\,:=\,\sup_{f\in A(\Omega,\Pi)}\sup_{z\in \Omega}\frac{\vert f^{(n)}(z)\vert\,R(f(z),\Pi)}{n!\,(R(z,\Omega))^n} are finite for all n ? \Bbb N{n \in {\Bbb N}} if and only if ∂Ω and ∂Π do not contain isolated points.