We prove that the existence of a solution to a fully nonlinear elliptic equation in a bounded domain $Ω$ with an overdetermined boundary condition prescribing both Dirichlet and Neumann constant data forces the domain $Ω$ to be a ball. This is a generalization of Serrin's classical result from 1971.
We study some overdetermined problems for possibly anisotropic degenerate elliptic PDEs, including the well-known Serrin's overdetermined problem, and we prove the corresponding Wulff shape characterizations by using some integral identities and just one pointwise inequality. Our techniques provide a somehow unified approach to this variety of problems.
Let $f:[0,+\infty) \to \mathbb{R}$ be a (locally) Lipschitz function and $Ω\subset \mathbb{R}^2$ a $C^{1,α}$ domain whose boundary is unbounded and connected. If there exists a positive bounded solution to the overdetermined elliptic problem $$ \left\{\begin{array} {ll} Δu + f(u) = 0 & \mbox{in }\; Ω \\ u= 0\, \, \, , \, \, \, \frac{\partial u}{\partial \vecν}=1 &\mbox{on }\; \partial Ω\end{array}\right. $$ we prove that $Ω$ is a half-plane. In particular, we obtain a partial answer to a question raised by H. Berestycki, L. Caffarelli and L. Nirenberg in 1997.
In this paper we construct nontrivial exterior domains $Ω\subset \mathbb{R}^N$, for all $N\geq 2$, such that the problem $$\left\{ {ll} -Δu +u -u^p=0,\ u >0 & \mbox{in }\; Ω, {1mm] \ u= 0 & \mbox{on }\; \partial Ω, [1mm] \ \frac{\partial u}{\partial ν} = \mbox{cte} & \mbox{on }\; \partial Ω, \right.$$ admits a positive bounded solution. This result gives a negative answer to the Berestycki-Caffarelli-Nirenberg conjecture on overdetermined elliptic problems in dimension 2, the only dimension in which the conjecture was still open. For higher dimensions, different counterexamples have been found…
In this paper, we prove the existence of nontrivial unbounded domains $Ω\subset\mathbb{R}^{n+1},n\geq1$, bifurcating from the straight cylinder $B\times\mathbb{R}$ (where $B$ is the unit ball of $\mathbb{R}^n$), such that the overdetermined elliptic problem \begin{equation*} \begin{cases} Δu +f(u)=0 &\mbox{in $Ω$, } u=0 &\mbox{on $\partialΩ$, } \partial_ν u=\mbox{constant} &\mbox{on $\partialΩ$, } \end{cases} \end{equation*} has a positive bounded solution. We will prove such result for a very general class of functions $f: [0, +\infty) \to \mathbb{R}$. Roughly speaking, we only ask that the D…
We introduce a method, based on the Poincare-Hopf index theorem, to classify solutions to overdetermined problems for fully nonlinear elliptic equations in domains diffeomorphic to a closed disk. Applications to some well-known nonlinear elliptic PDEs are provided. Our result can be seen as the analogue of Hopf's uniqueness theorem for constant mean curvature spheres, but for the general analytic context of overdetermined elliptic problems.
We exhibit several counterexamples showing that the famous Serrin's symmetry result for semilinear elliptic overdetermined problems may not hold for partially overdetermined problems, that is when both Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions are prescribed only on part of the boundary. Our counterexamples enlighten subsequent positive symmetry results obtained by the first two authors for such partially overdetermined systems and justify their assumptions as well.
We consider a two-phase heat conductor in two dimensions consisting of a core and a shell with different constant conductivities. When the medium outside the two-phase conductor has a possibly different conductivity, we consider the Cauchy problem in two dimensions where initially the conductor has temperature 0 and the outside medium has temperature 1. It is shown that, if there is a stationary isothermic surface in the shell near the boundary, then the structure of the conductor must be circular. Moreover, as by-products of the method of the proof, we mention other proofs of all the previous…
Let $Ω$ be a bounded domain in $\mathbb{R} ^N $, and let $u\in C^1 (\overline{Ω}) $ be a weak solution of the following overdetermined BVP: $-\nabla (g(|\nabla u|)|\nabla u|^{-1} \nabla u )=f(|x|,u)$, $ u>0 $ in $Ω$ and $u(x)=0, \ |\nabla u (x)| =λ(|x|)$ on $\partial Ω$, where $g\in C([0,+\infty ))\cap C^1 ((0,+\infty ) ) $ with $g(0)=0$, $g'(t)>0$ for $t>0$, $f\in C([0,+\infty )) \times [0, +\infty ) )$, $f$ is nonincreasing in $|x|$, $λ\in C([0, +\infty )) $ and $λ$ is positive and nondecreasing. We show that $Ω$ is a ball and $u$ satisfies some "local" kind of symmetry. The proof is based o…
In this paper, we consider the overdetermined problem for fully non linear singular or degenerate elliptic operators in bounded smooth domains with both Dirichlet and Neumann condition, as in the classical result of Serrin we prove that the existence of nontrivial constant sign solution imply that the domain is a ball.
Our work proposes a unified approach to three different topics in a general Riemannian setting: splitting theorems, symmetry results and overdetermined elliptic problems. By the existence of a stable solution to the semilinear equation $-Δu = f(u)$ on a Riemannian manifold with non-negative Ricci curvature, we are able to classify both the solution and the manifold. We also discuss the classification of monotone (with respect to the direction of some Killing vector field) solutions, in the spirit of a conjecture of De Giorgi, and the rigidity features for overdetermined elliptic problems on su…
We study overdetermined problems for fully nonlinear elliptic equations in subdomains $Ø$ of the Euclidean sphere $\mathbb{S}^{N}$ and the hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^{N}$. We prove, the existence of a classical solution to the underlined equation forces $Ø$ to be a geodesic ball in the ambient space. Our result extends to fully nonlinear equations, a similar result in the case of semilinear equations with the Laplace operator due to Kumaresan and Prajapat.
We study necessary conditions on the geometry and the topology of domains in $\mathbb{R}^2$ that support a positive solution to a classical overdetermined elliptic problem. The ideas and tools we use come from constant mean curvature surface theory. In particular, we obtain a partial answer to a question posed by H. Berestycki, L. Caffarelli and L. Nirenberg in 1997. We investigate also some boundedness properties of the solution $u$. Some of our results generalize to higher dimensions.
In this paper, we consider an overdetermined problem of Serrin-type for a two-phase elliptic operator with piecewise constant coefficients. We show the existence of infinitely many branches of nontrivial symmetry breaking solutions which bifurcate from any radially symmetric configuration satisfying some condition on the coefficients.
In this paper we consider the overdetermined boundary problem for a general second order semilinear elliptic equation on bounded domains of $\mathbf{R}^n$, where one prescribes both the Dirichlet and Neumann data of the solution. We are interested in the case where the data are not necessarily constant and where the coefficients of the equation can depend on the position, so that the overdetermined problem does not generally admit a radial solution. Our main result is that, nevertheless, under minor technical hypotheses nontrivial solutions to the overdetermined boundary problem always exist.
In this paper, we deal with an overdetermined problem of Serrin-type with respect to a two-phase elliptic operator in divergence form with piecewise constant coefficients. In particular, we consider the case where the two-phase overdetermined problem is close to the one-phase setting. First, we show quantitative stability estimates for the two-phase problem via a one-phase stability result. Furthermore, we prove non-existence for the corresponding inner problem by the aforementioned two-phase stability result.
Let $u$ denote a solution to a rotationally invariant Hessian equation $F(D^2u)=0$ on a bounded simply connected domain $Ω\subset R^2$, with constant Dirichlet and Neumann data on $\partial Ω$. In this paper we prove that if $u$ is real analytic and not identically zero, then $u$ is radial and $Ω$ is a disk. The fully nonlinear operator $F\not\equiv 0$ is of general type, and in particular, not assumed to be elliptic. We also show that the result is sharp, in the sense that it is not true if $Ω$ is not simply connected, or if $u$ is $C^{\infty}$ but not real analytic.
We construct new stationary weak solutions of the 3D Euler equation with compact support. The solutions, which are piecewise smooth and discontinuous across a surface, are axisymmetric with swirl. The range of solutions we find is different from, and larger than, the family of smooth stationary solutions recently obtained by Gavrilov and Constantin-La-Vicol; in particular, these solutions are not localizable. A key step in the proof is the construction of solutions to an overdetermined elliptic boundary value problem where one prescribes both Dirichlet and (nonconstant) Neumann data.
We consider a fractional elliptic equation in an unbounded set with both Dirichlet and fractional normal derivative datum prescribed. We prove that the domain and the solution are necessarily radially symmetric. The extension of the result in bounded non-convex regions is also studied, as well as the radial symmetry of the solution when the set is a priori supposed to be rotationally symmetric.
We prove the symmetry of solutions to overdetermined problems for a class of fully nonlinear equations, namely Hessian quotient equations and Hessian quotient curvature equations. Our approach is based on establishing a Rellich-Pohozaev type identity for Hessian quotient equations and using a P function. Our result generalizes the overdetermined problems for k-Hessian equations and k-curvature equations.
We define the notion of an exceptional manifold to be a flat Riemannian manifold with boundary which supports a positive harmonic function satisfying simultaneously a zero Dirichlet condition and a constant (nonzero) Neumann condtion at the boundary. We study the two-dimensional case: we present various examples and give a general construction algorithm of such surface by using complex analysis. We deduce a classification of all such surfaces assuming some further natural hypotheses and prove a Bernstein type theorem.
We prove the existence of a countable family of Delaunay type domains Ω_j in M^n x R, where M^n is the Riemannian manifold S^n or H^n and n is at least 2, bifurcating from the cylinder B^n x R (where B^n is a geodesic ball of radius 1 in M^n) for which the first eigenfunction of the Laplace-Beltrami operator with zero Dirichlet boundary condition also has constant Neumann data at the boundary. The domains Ω_j are rotationally symmetric and periodic with respect to the R-axis of the cylinder and as j converges to 0 the domain Ω_j converges to the cylinder B^n x R.
The study of the optimal constant in an Hessian-type Sobolev inequality leads to a fully nonlinear boundary value problem, overdetermined with non standard boundary conditions. We show that all the solutions have ellipsoidal symmetry. In the proof we use the maximum principle applied to a suitable auxiliary function in conjunction with an entropy estimate from affine curvature flow.
Piecewise smooth stationary Euler flows with support in a neighborhood of a helix
Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas(西班牙高等科学研究委员会数学科学研究所);School of Mathematics and Statistics, Beijing Institute of Technology(北京理工大学数学与统计学院)
In this article we study a Bernoulli-type free boundary problem and generalize a work of Henrot and Shahgholian in \cite{HS1} to $\mathcal{A}$-harmonic PDEs. These are quasi-linear elliptic PDEs whose structure is modeled on the $p$-Laplace equation for a fixed $1<p<\infty$. In particular, we show that if $K$ is a bounded convex set satisfying the interior ball condition and $c>0$ is a given constant, then there exists a unique convex domain $Ω$ with $K\subset Ω$ and a function $u$ which is $\mathcal{A}$-harmonic in $Ω\setminus K$, has continuous boundary values $1$ on $\partial K$ and $0$ on …
We prove that bounded solutions to an overdetermined fully nonlinear free boundary problem in the plane are one dimensional. Our proof relies on maximum principle techniques and convexity arguments.
We consider an overdetermined problem for a two phase elliptic operator in divergence form with piecewise constant coefficients. We look for domains such that the solution $u$ of a Dirichlet boundary value problem also satisfies the additional property that its normal derivative $\partial_n u$ is a multiple of the radius of curvature at each point on the boundary. When the coefficients satisfy some "non-criticality" condition, we construct nontrivial solutions to this overdetermined problem employing a perturbation argument relying on shape derivatives and the implicit function theorem. Moreov…
Positive solutions to general semilinear overdetermined boundary problems
Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas(西班牙高等科学研究委员会数学科学研究所);Departamento de Análisis Matemático y Matemática Aplicada, Facultad de Matemáticas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid(马德里康普顿斯大学数学学院分析与数学应用系);ICREA(加泰罗尼亚高级研究院);Universitat de Barcelona, Departament de Matemàtiques i Informàtica(巴塞罗那大学数学与计算机科学系);Centre de Recerca Matemàtica(数学研究中心)
We consider an overdetermined elliptic problem known as the hollow vortex problem. We prove that the solutions to this problem are in 1:1 correspondence with minimal graphs bounded by horizontal symmetry lines. We use this correspondence to give various examples of domains with hollow vortices.
Bernoulli's free boundary problem is an overdetermined problem in which one seeks an annular domain such that the capacitary potential satisfies an extra boundary condition. There exist two different types of solutions called elliptic and hyperbolic solutions. Elliptic solutions are ``stable'' solutions and tractable by variational methods and maximum principles, while hyperbolic solutions are ``unstable'' solutions of which the qualitative behavior is less known. We introduce a new implicit function theorem based on the parabolic maximal regularity, which is applicable to problems with loss o…
In this paper we study the geometry and the topology of unbounded domains in the Hyperbolic Space $\mathbb{H} ^n$ supporting a bounded positive solution to an overdetermined elliptic problem. Under suitable conditions on the elliptic problem and the behaviour of the bounded solution at infinity, we are able to show that symmetries of the boundary at infinity imply symmetries on the domain itself. In dimension two, we can strengthen our results proving that a connected domain $Ω\subset \mathbb{H} ^2$ with $C^2$ boundary whose complement is connected and supports a bounded positive solution $u$ …
We prove global Holder estimates for solution of fully nonlinear elliptic or degenerate elliptic equations in unbounded domains under geometric conditions on the domain a' la Cabre'.
Integral estimates for weak solutions to a class of Dirichlet problems for nonlinear, fully anisotropic, elliptic equations with a zero order term are obtained using symmetrization techniques.