We study the gain in regularity of the distance to the boundary of a domain in $\mathbb R^m$. In particular, we show that if the signed distance function happens to be merely differentiable in a neighborhood of a boundary point, it and the boundary have to be $\mathcal C^{1,1}$ regular. Conversely, we study the regularity of the distance function under regularity hypotheses of the boundary. Along the way, we point out that any solution to the eikonal equation, differentiable everywhere in a domain of the Euclidean space, admits a gradient which is locally Lipschitz.
The time dependent Eikonal equation is a Hamilton-Jacobi equation with Hamiltonian $H(P)=|P|$, which is not strictly convex nor smooth. The regularizing effect of Hamiltonian for the Eikonal equation is much weaker than that of strictly convex Hamiltonians, therefore leading to new phenomena such as the appearance of "contact discontinuity". In this paper, we study the set of singularity points of solutions in the upper half space for $C^1$ or $C^2$ initial data, with emphasis on the countability of connected components of the set. The regularity of solutions in the complement of the set of si…
In this paper we relax the current regularity theory for the eikonal equation by using the recent theory of { set-valued} iterated Lie brackets. We give sufficient conditions for small time local attainability of general, symmetric, nonlinear systems, which have as a consequence the Hoelder regularity of the minimum time function in optimal control. We then apply such result to prove Hölder continuity of solutions of the Dirichlet boundary value problem for the eikonal equation with low regularity of the coefficients. We also prove that the sufficient conditions for the Hölder regularity are e…
On a bounded domain $Ω$ in euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^n$, we study the homogeneous Dirichlet problem for the eikonal equation associated with a system of smooth vector fields, which satisfies Hörmander's bracket generating condition. We prove that the solution is smooth in the complement of a closed set of Lebesgue measure zero.
In this paper we study the Eikonal equation in a bounded planar domain. We prove the equivalence among optimal Besov regularity, the finiteness of every entropy production and the validity of a kinetic formulation.
The Eikonal equation arises naturally in the limit of the second order Aviles-Giga functional whose $Γ$-convergence is a long standing challenging problem. The theory of entropy solutions of the Eikonal equation plays a central role in the variational analysis of this problem. Establishing fine structures of entropy solutions of the Eikonal equation, e.g. concentration of entropy measures on $\mathcal{H}^1$-rectifiable sets in $2$D, is arguably the key missing part for a proof of the full $Γ$-convergence of the Aviles-Giga functional. In the first part of this work, for $p\in \left(1,\frac{4}{…
The Aviles-Giga functional $I_ε(u)=\int_Ω \frac{\left|1-\left|\nabla u\right|^2\right|^2}ε+ε\left|\nabla^2 u\right|^2 \, dx$ is a well known second order functional that models phenomena from blistering to liquid crystals. The zero energy states of the Aviles-Giga functional have been characterized by Jabin, Otto, Perthame. Among other results they showed that if $\lim_{n\rightarrow \infty} I_{ε_n}(u_n)=0$ for some sequence $u_n\in W^{2,2}_0(Ω)$ and $u=\lim_{n\rightarrow \infty} u_n$ then $\nabla u$ is Lipschitz continuous outside a locally finite set. This is essentially a corollary to their …
In this paper we prove the equivalence between some known notions of solutions to the eikonal equation and more general analogs of the Hamilton-Jacobi equations in complete and rectifiably connected metric spaces. The notions considered are that of curve-based viscosity solutions, slope-based viscosity solutions, and Monge solutions. By using the induced intrinsic (path) metric, we reduce the metric space to a length space and show the equivalence of these solutions to the associated Dirichlet boundary problem. Without utilizing the boundary data, we also localize our argument and directly pro…
In this article we consider a system of eikonal equations with a Dirichlet boundary condition. We propose a variational method to select the class of solutions which minimize the discontinuity set of the gradient.
We present a Krylov-Safonov theory approach for the Hölder regularity of viscosity solutions to non-variational porous media type equations. We explore the peculiarity of this type of problem: either the equation falls in a uniformly elliptic regime or the eikonal mechanism takes care of the regularity. Our techniques are based on sliding paraboloids resulting in an ABP-type measure estimate. By combining such estimates, a diminishing of oscillation property is available, resulting in a regularity control in Hölder spaces.
In this paper, we obtain sharp Strichartz estimates for solutions of the wave equation $\square_\ggϕ=0$ where $\gg$ is a rough Lorentzian metric on a 4 dimensional space-time $\MM$. This is the last step of the proof of the bounded $L^2$ curvature conjecture proposed in [3], and solved by S. Klainerman, I. Rodnianski and the author in [8], which also relies on the sequence of papers [16][17][18][19]. Obtaining such estimates is at the core of the low regularity well-posedness theory for quasilinear wave equations. The difficulty is intimately connected to the regularity of the Eikonal equation…
A detailed study of solutions to the first order partial differential equation H(x,y,z_x,z_y)=0, with special emphasis on the eikonal equation z_x^2+z_y^2=h(x,y), is made near points where the equation becomes singular in the sense that dH=0, in which case the method of characteristics does not apply. The main results are that there is a strong lack of uniqueness of solutions near such points and that solutions can be less regular than both the function H and the initial data of the problem, but that this loss of regularity only occurs along a pair of curves through the singular point. The mai…
We obtain estimates of commutators of singular integral operators in Lipschitz spaces and apply the results to boundary regularity of elliptic equations in the plane. We obtain an explicit asymptotic formula for the Bergman projection.
We prove existence of a solution for a polymer crystal growth model describing the movement of a front $(Γ(t))$ evolving with a nonlocal velocity. In this model the nonlocal velocity is linked to the solution of a heat equation with source $δ_Γ$. The proof relies on new regularity results for the eikonal equation, in which the velocity is positive but merely measurable in time and with Hölder bounds in space. From this result, we deduce \textit{a priori} regularity for the front. On the other hand, under this regularity assumption, we prove bounds and regularity estimates for the solution of t…
In this paper, we study a non-local approximation of the time-dependent (local) Eikonal equation with Dirichlet-type boundary conditions, where the kernel in the non-local problem is properly scaled. Based on the theory of viscosity solutions, we prove existence and uniqueness of the viscosity solutions of both the local and non-local problems, as well as regularity properties of these solutions in time and space. We then derive error bounds between the solution to the non-local problem and that of the local one, both in continuous-time and Backward Euler time discretization. We then turn to s…
We study a one-parameter family of Eikonal Hamilton-Jacobi equations on an embedded network, and prove that there exists a unique critical value for which the corresponding equation admits global solutions, in a suitable viscosity sense. Such a solution is identified, via an Hopf-Lax type formula, once an admissible trace is assigned on an intrinsic boundary. The salient point of our method is to associate to the network an abstract graph, encoding all of the information on the complexity of the network, and to relate the differential equation to a discrete functional equation on the graph. Co…
In this short paper, we derive an alternative proof for some known [van den Berg & Gilkey 2015] short-time asymptotics of the heat content in compact full-dimensional submanifolds $S$ with smooth boundary. This includes formulae like \begin{equation*} \int_{S} \exp(tΔ)\left( f \mathbb 1_S\right)\, \mathrm{d}x = \int_S f \,\mathrm{d}x - \sqrt{\frac{t}π} \int_{\partial S} f \,\mathrm{d}A + o(\sqrt t),\quad t \rightarrow 0\,. \end{equation*} and (partially new) explicit expressions for similar expansions involving other powers of $\sqrt t$. By the same method, we also obtain short-time asymptotic…
In this paper, we develop a series of boundary pointwise regularity for Dirichlet problems and oblique derivative problems. As applications, we give direct and simple proofs of the higher regularity of the free boundaries in obstacle-type problems and one phase problems.
In this paper, we prove boundary pointwise $C^{k,α}$ regularity for any $k\geq 1$ for fully nonlinear parabolic equations. As an application, we give a direct and short proof of the higher regularity of the free boundaries in obstacle-type problems.
We consider one-dimensional parabolic free boundary value problem with a nonlocal (integro-differential) condition on the free boundary. Results on $C^m$-regularity of the free boundary are obtained. In particular, a necessary and sufficient condition for infinite differentiability of the free boundary is given.
We prove some sharp regularity results for solutions of classical first order hyperbolic initial boundary value problems. Our two main improvements on the existing litterature are weaker regularity assumptions for the boundary data and regularity in fractional Sobolev spaces. This last point is specially interesting when the regularity index belongs to 1/2 + N, as it involves nonlocal compatibility conditions.
In this paper, we prove a boundary pointwise regularity for fully nonlinear elliptic equations on cones. In addition, based on this regularity, we give simple proofs of the Liouville theorems on cones.
In a bounded domain of $\mathbb{R}^n$ with smooth boundary, we study the regularity of the viscosity solution, $T$, of the Dirichlet problem for the eikonal equation associated with a family of smooth vector fields $\{X_1,\ldots ,X_N\}$, subject to Hörmander's bracket generating condition. Due to the presence of characteristic boundary points, singular trajectories may occur in this case. We characterize such trajectories as the closed set of all points at which the solution loses point-wise Lipschitz continuity. We then prove that the local Lipschitz continuity of $T$, the local semiconcavity…
The interior free boundary theory for linear elliptic operators in higher dimensions was developed by Caffarelli in the low regularity context. In these notes, the up-to-the boundary free boundary regularity is discussed for nonlinear elliptic operators based on a different approach.
We investigate existence and regularity properties of one-phase free boundary graphs, in connection with the question of whether there exists a complete non-planar free boundary graph in high dimensions.
In my previous paper I have contrived a Ginzburg-Landau heat flow with a time-dependent parameter and by using it, I constructed a harmonic heat flow into spheres with a monotonical inequality and a reverse Poincaré inequality. This paper establishes these two energy inequalities near the boundary and then by making the best of them, we discuss a partial boundary regularity. In addition to it, we demonstrate a whole domain's regularity under "the one-sided condition." This has been proposed by S.Hildebrandt and K.-O.Widman.
We obtain boundary Holder gradient estimates and regularity for solutions to the linearized Monge-Ampere equations under natural assumptions on the domain, Monge-Ampere measures and boundary data. Our results are affine invariant analogues of the boundary Holder gradient estimates of Krylov.
The theory of boundary regularity for $p$-harmonic functions is extended to unbounded open sets in complete metric spaces with a doubling measure supporting a $p$-Poincaré inequality, $1<p<\infty$. The barrier classification of regular boundary points is established, and it is shown that regularity is a local property of the boundary. We also obtain boundary regularity results for solutions of the obstacle problem on open sets, and characterize regularity further in several other ways.
Boundary characteristic point regularity is studied for a class of semilinear heat equations and an ODE criterion of regularity is obtained. Extensions to higher-order semilinear parabolic problems are discussed.
We prove full boundary regularity for minimizing biharmonic maps with smooth Dirichlet boundary conditions. Our result, similarly as in the case of harmonic maps, is based on the nonexistence of nonconstant boundary tangent maps. With the help of recently derivated boundary monotonicity formula for minimizing biharmonic maps by Altuntas we prove compactness at the boundary following Scheven's interior argument. Then we combine those results with the conditional partial boundary regularity result for stationary biharmonic maps by Gong--Lamm--Wang.
We obtain up to a flat boundary regularity results in parabolic Hölder spaces for viscosity solutions of fully nonlinear parabolic equations with oblique boundary conditions.
We study geometric and regularity properties of the largest subsolution of a one-phase free boundary problem under a very general free boundary condition in R2. Moreover, we provide density bounds for the positivity set and its complement near the free boundary.
F.-H. Lin studied minimal graphs of the Dirichlet problem in the hyperbolic space and proved that any such minimal graph has the same global regularity as the boundary if the dimension of the minimal graph is even and that there is an obstacle to the higher regularity if the dimension is odd. We discuss the odd dimension case and study how the higher regularity is obstructed. We introduce the logarithm of the distance to the boundary as an additional independent self-variable and establish concise boundary regularity for the minimal graph.
In a bounded domain, we consider a variable range nonlocal operator, which is maximally isotropic in the sense that its radius of interaction equals the distance to the boundary. We establish $C^{1,α}$ boundary regularity and existence results for the Dirichlet problem.
We study the boundary regularity for the normalised $\infty$-heat equation $u_t = Δ_{\infty}^Nu$ in arbitrary domains. Perron's Method is used for constructing solutions. We characterize regular boundary points with barrier functions, and prove an Exterior Ball result. A Petrovsky-like criterion is established.
In this work we study regularity properties of solutions to fractional elliptic problems with mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary data when dealing with the Spectral Fractional Laplacian.
We consider the Hölder continuity for the Dirichlet problem at the boundary. Almgren introduced the multivalued; Q-valued functions for studying regularity of minimal surfaces in higher codimension. The Hölder continuity in the interior for Dirichlet minimizers is an outcome of Almgren's original theory, to which C. De Lellis and E.N. Spadaro's work have given a simpler alternative approach. We extend the Hölder regularity for Dirichlet minimizing Q-valued functions up to the boundary assuming enough regularity of the domain and Hölder regularity of the boundary data with exponent >1/2.
The embeddings theorem of space-boundary-type DeGiorgi-Ladyzhenskaya parabolic classes into Holder spaces is presented, which is useful for regularity considerations for parabolic boundary value problems. Additionaly, the application of this theory to Navier-Stokes-s swirl is presented.
We show that the solutions of SG elliptic boundary value problems defined on the complement of compact sets or on the half-space have some regularity in Gelfand-Shilov spaces. The results are obtained using classical results about Gevrey regularity of elliptic boundary value problems and Calderón projectors techniques adapted to the SG case. Recent developments about Gelfand-Shilov regularity of SG pseudo-differential operators on $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ appear in an essential way.
We prove a higher regularity result for the free boundary in the obstacle problem for the fractional Laplacian via a higher order boundary Harnack inequality.
The main result of this paper is to prove that viscosity solutions to a parabolic free boundary problem with variable coefficients are Lipschitz continuous under the assumptions that the solution has a Lipschitz free boundary and satisfies a non-degeneracy condition. This is the optimal regularity for this problem.
