Geometric inequalities related to Steiner symmetrization (Q1386266)

For \(\Omega \) a bounded domain in \(\mathbb R^N\), let \(\delta _{\Omega} (z) = \text{dist} (z,\partial \Omega)\), \(\Omega^{*}\) the Schwarz symmetrization of \(\Omega \) (i.e., the ball in \(\mathbb R^N\) with the measure \({|}\Omega {|}\) of \(\Omega \)) and \(\delta^{*}_{\Omega}(z) = \sup \{t \geq 0: {|}\{z:{|}\delta _{\Omega}(z){|} >t\}{|} >\omega _n {|}z{|}^N\}\) the Schwarz symmetrization of \(\delta _{\Omega}\) (with \(\omega _N\) the measure of the unit sphere in \(\mathbb R^N\)). The authors extend the inequality \(\delta^*_{\Omega} (z) \leq \delta _{\Omega^*} (z)\), \(z\in \Omega^*\), to the inequality \[ \delta^{\#}_{\Omega} (x,y) \leq \delta _{\Omega^{\#}} (x,y), \qquad (x,y) \in \Omega^{\#}, \tag \(*\) \] where \(\Omega^{\#}\) is the Steiner symmetrization of \(\Omega \) with respect to \(x\), i.e., \(\Omega^{\#} = \{(x,y) \in \mathbb R^n \times \mathbb R^m\), \(m+n=N:x\in (\Omega^y)^*\), \(y\in \mathbb R^m\}\) with \(\Omega^y = \{x\in \mathbb R^n, (x,y) \in \Omega \}\), \(\delta _{\Omega^{\#}} (x,y) = \text{dist} ((x,y)\), \(\partial \Omega^{\#})\) and \(\delta^{\#}_{\Omega} (x,y)\) is the Schwarz rearrangement of the function \(\delta _{\Omega} (\cdot ,y)\) for \(y\in \mathbb R^m\) fixed. -- Inequality \((*)\) is obtained as a consequence of some more general comparison result for generalized solutions \(u\in W^{1,p}_0 (\Omega)\) of certain Hamilton-Jacobi equations and uses, among other tools, the isoperimetric inequality. An application in plasticity theory is mentioned.