Strict inequality of Robin eigenvalues for elliptic differential operators on Lipschitz domains

On a bounded Lipschitz domain we consider two selfadjoint operator realizations of the same second order elliptic differential expression subject to Robin boundary conditions, where the coefficients in the boundary conditions are functions. We prove that inequality between these functions on the boundary implies strict inequality between the eigenvalues of the two operators, provided that the inequality of the functions in the boundary conditions is strict on an arbitrarily small nonempty, open set.     

Generalized Q-functions and Dirichlet-to-Neumann maps for elliptic differential operators

The classical concept of Q-functions associated to symmetric and selfadjoint operators due to M.G. Krein and H. Langer is extended in such a way that the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map in the theory of elliptic differential equations can be interpreted as a generalized Q-function. For couplings of uniformly elliptic second order differential expression on bounded and unbounded domains explicit Krein type formulas for the difference of the resolvents and trace formulas in an H²-framework are obtained.     

Topological sensitivity analysis of a multi‐scale constitutive model considering a cracked microstructure

This paper deals with the sensitivity analysis of the macroscopic elasticity tensor to topological microstructural changes of the underlying material. In particular, the microstucture is topologicaly perturbed by the nucleation of a small circular inclusion. The derivation of the proposed sensitivity relies on the concept of topological derivative, applied within a variational multi‐scale constitutive framework where the macroscopic strain and stress at each point of the macroscopic continuum are defined as volume averages of their microscopic counterparts over a representative volume element (RVE) of material associated with that point. We consider that the RVE can contain a number of voids, inclusions and/or cracks. It is assumed that non‐penetration conditions are imposed at the crack faces, which do not allow the opposite crack faces to penetrate each other. The derived sensitivity leads to a symmetric fourth‐order tensor field over the unperturbed RVE domain, which measures how the macroscopic elasticity parameters estimated within the multi‐scale framework changes when a small circular inclusion is introduced at the micro‐scale level. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sharp Reilly-type inequalities for a class of elliptic operators on submanifolds

Let M be an $n(>2)$-dimensional closed orientable submanifold in an $(n+p)$-dimensional space form ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+p}(c)$. We obtain an optimal upper bound for the second eigenvalue of a class of elliptic operators on M defined by $L_{T}f=-\text{div}(T\mathrm{\nabla }f)$, where T is a general symmetric, positive definite and divergence-free $(1,1)$-tensor on M. The upper bound is given in terms of an integration involving tr T and $|H_T{|}^2$, where tr T is the trace of the tensor T and $H_T={\sum }_{i=1}^{n}A(T{e}_i,e_i)$ is a normal vector field associated with T and the second fundamental form A of M. Furthermore, we give the sufficient and necessary conditions when the upper bound is attained. Our main theorem can be viewed as an extension of the famous “Reilly inequality”. The operator $L_T$ can be regarded as a natural generalization of the well-known operator $L_r$ which is the linearized operator of the first variation of the $(r+1)$-th mean curvature for hypersurfaces in a space form. As applications of our main theorem, we generalize the results of Grosjean [17] and Li–Wang [20] in codimension one to arbitrary codimension.     

The L resolvents of elliptic operators with uniformly continuous coefficients

We consider the strongly elliptic operator A of order 2m in the divergence form with bounded measurable coefficients and assume that the coefficients of top order are uniformly continuous. For 1<p<∞, A is a bounded linear operator from the L^p Sobolev space H^m,p into H^−m,p. We will prove that (A−λ)⁻¹ exists in H^−m,p for some λ and estimate its operator norm.     

Time evolution of discrete fourth‐order elliptic operators

The evolution equation is considered. A discrete parabolic methodology is developed, based on a discrete elliptic (fourth‐order) calculus. The main ingredient of this calculus is a discrete biharmonic operator (DBO). In the general case, it is shown that the approximate solutions converge to the continuous one. An “almost optimal” convergence result (O(h^{4 ? ?})) is established in the case of constant coefficients, in particular in the pure biharmonic case. Several numerical test cases are presented that not only corroborate the theoretical accuracy result, but also demonstrate high‐order accuracy of the method in nonlinear cases. The nonlinear equations include the well‐studied Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation. Numerical solutions for this equation are shown to approximate remarkably well the exact solutions. The numerical examples demonstrate the great improvement achieved by using the DBO instead of the standard (five‐point) discrete bilaplacian.     

On the convergence of generalized Schwarz algorithms for solving obstacle problems with elliptic operators

In this paper, multiplicative and additive generalized Schwarz algorithms for solving obstacle problems with elliptic operators are developed and analyzed. Compared with the classical Schwarz algorithms, in which the subproblems are coupled by the Dirichlet boundary conditions, the generalized Schwarz algorithms use Robin conditions with parameters as the transmission conditions on the interface boundaries. As a result, the convergence rate can be speeded up by choosing Robin parameters properly. Convergence of the algorithms is established. This work was supported by 973 national project of China (2004CB719402) and by national nature science foundation of China (10671060).     

On the m order difference sequence space of generalized weighted mean and compact operators

In this article, using generalized weighted mean and difference matrix of order m, we introduce the paranormed sequence space ?(u, v, p; Δ^(m)), which consist of the sequences whose generalized weighted Δ^(m)-difference means are in the linear space ?(p) defined by I.J. Maddox. Also, we determine the basis of this space and compute its α-, β- and γ-duals. Further, we give the characterization of the classes of matrix mappings from ?(u, v, p, Δ^(m)) to ?_∞, c and c₀. Finally, we apply the Hausdorff measure of noncompacness to characterize some classes of compact operators given by matrices on the space ?_p(u, v, Δ^(m))(1 ≤ p < ∞).     

The L resolvents of second-order elliptic operators of divergence form under the Dirichlet condition

Let A be the 2mth-order elliptic operator of divergence form with bounded measurable coefficients defined in a domain Ω of . For 1<p<∞ we regard A as a bounded linear operator from the L^p Sobolev space to H−m,p(Ω). It is known that when , we can construct the resolvent (A−λ)⁻¹ and estimate its operator norm for some λ if the leading coefficients are uniformly continuous. In this paper, we try to extend this result to a general domain. It is successful when m=1 if Ω is the half-space or a domain with C² bounded boundary. For m>1 it is shown that the problem is reduced to the case where Ω is the half-space and A is a homogeneous operator with constant coefficients. We also give a perturbation theorem.     

Existence of multiple positive solutions for semilinear elliptic systems involving m critical hardy-sobolev exponents and m sign-changing weight function

In this article, we consider a class of degenerate quasilinear elliptic problems with weights and nonlinearity involving the critical Hardy-Sobolev exponent and one sign-changing function. The existence and multiplicity results of positive solutions are obtained by variational methods.     

A new method of sensitivity analysis of static responses for finite element systems

This paper is the continuation of Liang et al. J. Comput. Struct. 62 (2) (1997) 243–251. In this paper, a set of explicit formulations of variations for calculating sensitivity of static responses are presented. This method may greatly increase the computational efficiency if used with the M–P inverse topological variation method. By using this method the exact sensitivity can be obtained.     

偶数阶自共轭微分算子谱的离散性条件

In this paper, we consider differential operators of 2nd-order
a[u]=(-1)^k(a_k(x)u^(k)(x))(k), x∈(0, ∞)
whose coefficients a_k(x) are restricted by powers of e^x, and give conditions on the coefficients sufficient to ensure that the spectrum is discrete; next we formulate necessary and sufficient conditions for the discreteness of the spectrum of differential operators whose coefficients a_k(x) may increase as e^αkx as x→∞.     

Shape design sensitivity analysis of plates and plane elastic solids under unilateral constraints

The local dependence of static response and eigenvalues on the shape of plates and plane elastic solids is characterized. The so-called material derivative method is used. The shape sensitivity analysis includes, besides linear problems, nonlinear problems with unilateral conditions, e.g., the frictionless contact problem for an elastic body on a rigid foundation. The results on shape sensitivity analysis can be used to obtain expressions for variations of integral functionals that arise in structural optimization problems.The authors are indebted to Professor N. Olhoff and Dr. M. P. Bendsøe for stimulating discussions and valuable comments on design sensitivity analysis.     

Existence and multiplicity of solutions to 2mth-order ordinary differential equations

In this paper, the existence and multiplicity of solutions are obtained for the 2mth-order ordinary differential equation two-point boundary value problems u(2(m−i))(t)=f(t,u(t)) for all t∈[0,1] subject to Dirichlet, Neumann, mixed and periodic boundary value conditions, respectively, where f is continuous, ai∈R for all i=1,2,…,m. Since these four boundary value problems have some common properties and they can be transformed into the integral equation of form , we firstly deal with this nonlinear integral equation. By using the strongly monotone operator principle and the critical point theory, we establish some conditions on f which are able to guarantee that the integral equation has a unique solution, at least one nonzero solution, and infinitely many solutions. Furthermore, we apply the abstract results on the integral equation to the above four 2mth-order two-point boundary problems and successfully resolve the existence and multiplicity of their solutions.     

Strong convergence of composite iterative schemes for zeros of m-accretive operators in Banach spaces

We introduce a new composite iterative scheme to approximate a zero of an m$m$-accretive operator A$A$ defined on uniform smooth Banach spaces and a reflexive Banach space having a weakly continuous duality map. It is shown that the iterative process in each case converges strongly to a zero of A$A$. The results presented in this paper substantially improve and extend the results due to Ceng et al. [L.C. Ceng, H.K. Xu, J.C. Yao, Strong convergence of a hybrid viscosity approximation method with perturbed mappings for nonexpansive and accretive operators, Taiwanese J. Math. (in press)], Kim and Xu [T.H. Kim, H.K. Xu, Strong convergence of modified Mann iterations, Nonlinear Anal. 61 (2005) 51–60] and Xu [H.K. Xu, Strong convergence of an iterative method for nonexpansive and accretive operators, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 314 (2006) 631–643]. Our work provides a new approach for the construction of a zero of m$m$-accretive operators.     

A Meyers type regularity result for approximations of second order elliptic operators by P1 finite elements

We prove a Meyers type regularity estimate for approximate solutions of second order elliptic equations obtained by P1 finite elements. The proofs rely on interpolation results for Sobolev spaces on graphs. Estimates for second order elliptic operators on rather general graphs are also obtained.     

Geometry of phase plane and radial solutions for nonlinear elliptic equations with extremal operators

We study the existence of positive radially symmetric solutions to a class of nonlinear elliptic problems involving extremal operators and nonlinearity of exponential or polynomial type. According to the values of a parameter, we describe situations where the equation has one, finitely many, infinitely many or no solutions, by using the geometry structure of phase plane.