A Strong Maximum Principle for some quasilinear elliptic equations

In its simplest form the Strong Maximum Principle says that a nonnegative superharmonic continuous function in a domain ⁿ ,n 1, is in fact positive everywhere. Here we prove that the same conclusion is true for the weak solutions of – u + (u) = f with a nondecreasing function ,(0)=0, andf0 a.e. in if and only if the integral((s)s) ^–1/2 ds diverges ats=0+. We extend the result to more general equations, in particular to – _p u + (u) =f where _p (u) = div(|Du| ^p-2 Du), 1 <p < . Our main result characterizes the nonexistence of a dead core in some reaction-diffusion systems.This work was partly done while the author was visiting the University of Minnesota as a Fulbright Scholar.