In this work we prove a strong maximum principle for fractional elliptic problems with mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary data which extends the one proved by J. Dávila to the fractional setting. In particular, we present a comparison result for two solutions of the fractional Laplace equation involving the spectral fractional Laplacian endowed with homogeneous mixed boundary condition. This result represents a non-local counterpart to a Hopf's Lemma for fractional elliptic problems with mixed boundary data.
We study the boundary integral operator induced from fractional Laplace equation in a bounded Lipschitz domain. As an application, we study the boundary value problem of a fractional Laplace equation.
We establish a Harnack inequality of fractional Laplace equations without imposing sign condition on the coefficient of zero order term via the Moser's iteration and John-Nirenberg inequality.
We significantly expand the number of functions whose image under the fractional Laplace operator can be computed explicitly. In particular, we show that the fractional Laplace operator maps Meijer G-functions of |x|^2, or generalized hypergeometric functions of -|x|^2, multiplied by a solid harmonic polynomial, into the same class of functions. As one important application of this result, we produce a complete system of eigenfunctions of the operator (1-|x|^2)_+^{alpha/2} (-Delta)^{alpha/2} with the Dirichlet boundary conditions outside of the unit ball. The latter result will be used to esti…
We consider the divergent fractional Laplace operator presented in [Dipierro-Savin-Valdinoci, Rev. Mat. Iberoam.] and we prove three types of results. Firstly, we show that any given function can be locally shadowed by a solution of a divergent fractional Laplace equation which is also prescribed in a neighborhood of infinity. Secondly, we take into account the Dirichlet problem for the divergent fractional Laplace equation, proving the existence of a solution and characterizing its multiplicity. Finally, we take into account the case of nonlinear equations, obtaining a new approximation resul…
In this note we consider regularity theory for a fractional $p$-Laplace operator which arises in the complex interpolation of the Sobolev spaces, the $H^{s,p}$-Laplacian. We obtain the natural analogue to the classical $p$-Laplacian situation, namely $C^{s+α}_{loc}$-regularity for the homogeneous equation.
We study the inverse problem for the fractional Laplace equation with multiple nonlinear lower order terms. We show that the direct problem is well-posed and the inverse problem is uniquely solvable. More specifically, the unknown nonlinearities can be uniquely determined from exterior measurements under suitable settings.
In the paper, we derive an existence result for a nonlinear nonautonomous partial elliptic system on an open bounded domain with Dirichlet boundary conditions, containg fractional powers of the weak Dirichlet-Laplace operator that are meant in the Stone-von Neumann operator calculus sense. We apply a variational method which gives strong solutions of the problem under consideration.
In this work we extend a recent result by Dyda et. al. [B. Dyda, A. Kuznetsov, M. Kwasnicki, Eigenvalues of the fractional Laplace equation in the unit ball, J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 95 (2017), 500-518.] to dimension 3.
We prove that for $p\ge 2$ solutions of equations modeled by the fractional $p$-Laplacian improve their regularity on the scale of fractional Sobolev spaces. Moreover, under certain precise conditions, they are in $W^{1,p}_{loc}$ and their gradients are in a fractional Sobolev space as well. The relevant estimates are stable as the fractional order of differentiation $s$ reaches $1$.
We give an alternative proof for Hölder regularity for weak solutions of nonlocal elliptic quasilinear equations modelled on the fractional p-Laplacian where we replace the discrete De Giorgi iteration on a sequence of concentric balls by a continuous iteration. This work can be viewed as the nonlocal counterpart to the ideas developed by Tiziano Granucci.
In this paper we prove strong unique continuation principle and unique continuation from sets of positive measure for solutions of a higher order fractional Laplace equation in an open domain. Our proofs are based on the Caffarelli-Silvestre extension method combined with an Almgren type monotonicity formula. The corresponding extended problem is formulated as a systems of two second order equations with singular or degenerate weights in a half-space, for which asymptotics estimates are derived by a blow-up analysis.
In this paper, we study a Dirichlet problem of a fractional Laplace equation in a bounded Lipschitz domain in $ \R, n \geq 2$. Our main result is that for the given data $F \in \dot H^s(\Om^c), 0 < s<1$, we find the function which satisfies that $\De^s u =0$ in $\Om$, $u|_{\Om^c} =F$ and $|u|_{\dot{H}^s(\R)} \leq c |F|_{\dot H^s(\Om^c)}$. Furthermore, we represent the solution with an integral operator.
In this paper, we study different notions of solutions of nonlocal and nonlinear equations of fractional $p$-Laplace type $${\rm P.V.} \int_{\mathbb R^n}\frac{|u(x)-u(y)|^{p-2}(u(x)-u(y))}{|x-y|^{n+sp}}\,dy = 0.$$ Solutions are defined via integration by parts with test functions, as viscosity solutions or via comparison. Our main result states that for bounded solutions, the three different notions coincide.
We consider an inverse problem of determining the coefficients of a fractional $p\,$-Laplace equation in the exterior domain. Assuming suitable local regularity of the coefficients in the exterior domain, we offer an explicit reconstruction formula in the region where the exterior measurements are performed. This formula is then used to establish a global uniqueness result for real-analytic coefficents. In addition, we also derive a stability estimate for the unique determination of the coefficients in the exterior measurement set.
We analyze the interior controllability problem for a nonlocal Schrödinger equation involving the fractional Laplace operator $(-Δ)^s$, $s\in(0,1)$, on a bounded $C^{1,1}$ domain $Ω\subset\mathbb{R}^n$. The controllability from a neighborhood of the boundary of the domain is obtained for exponents $s$ in the interval $[1/2,1)$, while for $s<1/2$ the equation is shown to be not controllable. The results follow applying the multiplier method, joint with a Pohozaev-type identity for the fractional Laplacian, and from an explicit computation of the spectrum of the operator in the one-dimensional c…
This paper deals with multiplicity and bifurcation results for nonlinear problems driven by the fractional Laplace operator $(-Δ)^s$ and involving a critical Sobolev term. In particular, we consider $$\begin{cases} (-Δ)^su=γ|u|^{2^*-2}u+f(x,u) & \mbox{in } Ωu=0 & \mbox{in } \mathbb R^n\setminus Ω, \end{cases}$$ where $Ω\subset\mathbb R^n$ is an open bounded set with continuous boundary, $n>2s$ with $s\in(0,1)$, $γ$ is a positive real parameter, $2^*=2n/(n-2s)$ is the fractional critical Sobolev exponent and $f$ is a Carathéodory function satisfying different subcritical conditions.
In this paper, we consider the bifurcation problem for fractional Laplace equation \begin{eqnarray*} \begin{array}{ll} (-Δ)^{s} u = λu + f(λ,\,x,\,u)& \mbox{in }Ω, u = 0 &\mbox{in }\mathbb{R}^n\backslash Ω, \end{array} \end{eqnarray*} where $Ω\subset \mathbb{R}^n,\,n> 2s (0<s<1)$ is an open bounded subset with smooth boundary, $(-Δ)^{s}$ stands for the fractional Laplacian. We show that a continuum of solutions bifurcates out from the principal eigenvalue $λ_1$ of the eigenvalue problem \begin{eqnarray*} \begin{gathered} (-Δ)^{s} v = λv\,\,\,\mbox{in}\,\,Ω, v = 0 \,\,\,\,\mbox{in}\,\,\,\,\math…
This article reviews several definitions of the fractional Laplace operator (-Delta)^{alpha/2} (0 < alpha < 2) in R^d, also known as the Riesz fractional derivative operator, as an operator on Lebesgue spaces L^p, on the space C_0 of continuous functions vanishing at infinity and on the space C_{bu} of bounded uniformly continuous functions. Among these definitions are ones involving singular integrals, semigroups of operators, Bochner's subordination and harmonic extensions. We collect and extend known results in order to prove that all these definitions agree: on each of the function spaces …
We prove Hölder estimates for viscosity solutions of a class of possibly degenerate and singular equations modelled by the fractional $p$-Laplace equation $$ \text{PV} \int_{\mathbb{R}^n}\frac{|u(x)-u(x+y)|^{p-2}(u(x)-u(x+y))}{|y|^{n+sp}}\, dy =0, $$ where $s\in (0,1)$ and $p>2$ or $1/(1-s)<p<2$. Our results also apply for inhomogeneous equations with more general kernels, when $p$ and $s$ are allowed to vary with $x$, without any regularity assumption on $p$ and $s$. This complements and extends some of the recently obtained Hölder estimates for weak solutions.
We study a general class of discrete $p$-Laplace operators in the random conductance model with long-range jumps and ergodic weights. Using a variational formulation of the problem, we show that under the assumption of bounded first moments and a suitable lower moment condition on the weights, the homogenized limit operator is a fractional $p$-Laplace operator. Under strengthened lower moment conditions, we can apply our insights also to the spectral homogenization of the discrete Laplace operator to the continuous fractional Laplace operator.
We face a rigidity problem for the fractional $p$-Laplace operator to extend to this new framework some tools useful for the linear case. It is known that $(-Δ)^s(1-|x|^{2})^s_+$ and $-Δ_p(1-|x|^{\frac{p}{p-1}})$ are constant functions in $(-1,1)$ for fixed $p$ and $s$. We evaluated $(-Δ_p)^s(1-|x|^{\frac{p}{p-1}})^s_+$ proving that it is not constant in $(-1,1)$ for some $p\in (1,+\infty)$ and $s\in (0,1)$. This conclusion is obtained numerically thanks to the use of very accurate Gaussian numerical quadrature formulas.
We give a unified proof of Hölder regularity of weak solutions for mixed local and nonlocal $p$-Laplace type parabolic equations with the full range of exponents $1<p<\infty$. Our proof is based on the expansion of positivity together with the energy estimate and De Giorgi type lemma.
We investigate the mixed local and nonlocal parabolic $p$-Laplace equation \begin{align*} \partial_t u(x,t)-Δ_p u(x,t)+\mathcal{L}u(x,t)=0, \end{align*} where $Δ_p$ is the local $p$-Laplace operator and $\mathcal{L}$ is the nonlocal $p$-Laplace operator. Based on the combination of suitable Caccioppoli-type inequality and Logarithmic Lemma with a De Giorgi-Nash-Moser iteration, we establish the local boundedness and Hölder continuity of weak solutions for such equations.
In this paper we analyze the semi-linear fractional Laplace equation $$(-Δ)^s u = f(u) \quad\text{ in } \mathbb{R}^N_+,\quad u=0 \quad\text{ in } \mathbb{R}^N\setminus \mathbb{R}^N_+,$$ where $\mathbb{R}^N_+=\{x=(x',x_N)\in \mathbb{R}^N:\ x_N>0\}$ stands for the half-space and $f$ is a locally Lipschitz nonlinearity. We completely characterize one-dimensional bounded solutions of this problem, and we prove among other things that if $u$ is a bounded solution with $ρ:=\sup_{\mathbb{R}^N}u$ verifying $f(ρ)=0$, then $u$ is necessarily one-dimensional.
We obtain existence, uniqueness, and stability results for the modified 1-homogeneous infinity Laplace equation \[ -Δ_\infty u - β|Du| = f, \] subject to Dirichlet or mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. Our arguments rely on comparing solutions of the PDE to subsolutions and supersolutions of a certain finite difference approximation.
In this paper, we discuss a test function method to obtain nonexistence of global-in-time solutions for higher order evolution equations with fractional derivatives and a power nonlinearity, under a sign condition on the initial data. In order to deal with fractional powers of the Laplace operator, we introduce a suitable test function and a suitable class of weak solutions. The optimality of the nonexistence result provided is guaranteed by both scaling arguments and counterexamples. In particular, our manuscript provides the counterpart of nonexistence for several recent results of global ex…
We consider a fractional Laplace equation and we give a self-contained elementary exposition of the representation formula for the Green function on the ball. In this exposition, only elementary calculus techniques will be used, in particular, no probabilistic methods or computer assisted algebraic manipulations are needed. The main result in itself is not new, however we believe that the exposition is original and easy to follow, hence we hope that this paper will be accessible to a wide audience of young researchers and graduate students that want to approach the subject, and even to profess…
We discuss pointwise behavior of weak supersolutions for a class of doubly nonlinear parabolic fractional $p$-Laplace equations which includes the fractional parabolic $p$-Laplace equation and the fractional porous medium equation. More precisely, we show that weak supersolutions have lower semicontinuous representative. We also prove that the semicontinuous representative at an instant of time is determined by the values at previous times. This gives a pointwise interpretation for a weak supersolution at every point. The corresponding results hold true also for weak subsolutions. Our results …
It is shown that if $p \ge 3$ and $u \in W^{1,p}(Ω,\mathbb{R}^N)$ solves the inhomogenous $p$-Laplace system \[ \operatorname{div} (|\nabla u|^{p-2} \nabla u) = f, \qquad f \in W^{1,p'}(Ω,\mathbb{R}^N), \] then locally the gradient $\nabla u$ lies in the fractional Nikol'skii space $\mathcal{N}^{θ,2/θ}$ with any $θ\in [ \tfrac{2}{p}, \tfrac{2}{p-1} )$. To the author's knowledge, this result is new even in the case of $p$-harmonic functions, slightly improving known $\mathcal{N}^{2/p,p}$ estimates. The method used here is an extension of the one used by A. Cellina in the case $2 \le p < 3$ to s…
In this paper we deduce a formula for the fractional Laplace operator $(-Δ)^{s}$ on radially symmetric functions useful for some applications. We give a criterion of subharmonicity associated with $(-Δ)^{s}$, and apply it to a problem related to the Hessian inequality of Sobolev type: $$\int_{\mathbb{R}^n}|(-Δ)^{\frac{k}{k+1}} u|^{k+1} dx \le C \int_{\mathbb{R}^n} - u \, F_k[u] \, dx, $$ where $F_k$ is the $k$-Hessian operator on $\mathbb{R}^n$, $1\le k < \frac{n}{2}$, under some restrictions on a $k$-convex function $u$. In particular, we show that the class of $u$ for which the above inequal…
We establish existence results for a class of mixed anisotropic and nonlocal $p$-Laplace equation with singular nonlinearities. We consider both constant and variable singular exponents. Our argument is based on an approximation method. To this end, we also discuss the necessary regularity properties of weak solutions of the associated non-singular problems. More precisely, we obtain local boundedness of subsolutions, Harnack inequality for solutions and weak Harnack inequality for supersolutions.
We investigate the mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary value problems for the Laplace-Beltrami equation on a smooth hypersurface $\mathcal{C}$ with the smooth boundary in non-classical setting in the Bessel potential spaces $\mathbb{H}^1_p(\mathcal{C})$ for $1<p<\infty$. To the initial BVP we apply quasilocalization and obtain model BVPs for the Laplacian. The model mixed BVP on the half plane is investigated by potential method and is reduced to an equivalent system of Mellin convolution equations in Bessel potential and Besov spaces. The symbol of the obtained system is written explicitly, whic…
We investigate the behavior of the solution of a mixed problem in a domain with two moderately close holes. We introduce a positive parameter $ε$ and we define a perforated domain $Ω_ε$ obtained by making two small perforations in an open set. Both the size and the distance of the cavities tend to $0$ as $ε\to 0$. For $ε$ small, we denote by $u_ε$ the solution of a mixed problem for the Laplace equation in $Ω_ε$. We describe what happens to $u_ε$ as $ε\to 0$ in terms of real analytic maps and we compute an asymptotic expansion.
We study the boundary integral operator induced from the fractional Laplace equation in a bounded smooth domain. For $1/2 < α? < 1$, we show the bijectivity of the boundary integral operator $S_{2α} : L^p(\partial Ω) \rightarrow H^{2α-1}_p (\partial Ω), 1 < p < 1$. As an application, we show the existence of the solution of the boundary value problem of the fractional Laplace equation.
In this note I present some properties of sub-Laplaceans associated with a collection of smooth vector fields satisfying Hörmander's finite rank assumption. One notable aspect of the paper is the development of the fractional powers of sub-Laplaceans as Dirichlet-to-Neumann maps of an extension problem inspired to the famous 2007 work of Caffarelli and Silvestre for the standard Laplacean. A key tool is an extension problem for the fractional heat equation for which I compute the relevant Poisson kernel. I then use the latter to: 1) find the Poisson kernel for the time-independent case; and 2)…
In the paper, we derive a sensitivity result for a nonlinear fractional ordinary elliptic system on a bounded interval with Dirichlet boundary conditions. More precisely, using a global implicit function theorem, we show that, for any functional parameter, there exists a unique solution to such a problem and dependence of solutions on functional parameters is continuously differentiable.
