On the logarithmic type boundary modulus of continuity for the Stefan problem. To the memory of Emmanuele DiBenedetto (Q2675130)

Let \(E\) be open set in \(\mathbb{R}^N, \ N \ge 1\), \(E_T := E\times (0,\,T]\). There is considered the Dirichlet problem \[ \partial_t\beta(u) -\operatorname{div}\mathbf{A}(x,t,u,Du)\ \ni 0 \text{ weakly in } E_T, \ u(\cdot,0) = u_o, \] \[ u(\cdot,t)\big|_{\partial E} = g(\cdot,t) \text{ a.e. }t \in (0,\,T], \] and the Neumann problem (1), \[ \mathbf{A}(x,t,u,Du)\cdot\mathbf{n} = \psi(x,t,u) \text{ a.e. on }S_T:= \partial E \times(0,\,T], \] where \(\beta(u) = \{u\text{ for } u > 0, \ [-\nu,\, 0] \text{ for } u = 0, \ u-\nu \text{ for } u < 0\},\) \ \(\nu > 0;\) \ \(\mathbf{A}(x,t,u,\xi): E_T \times \mathbb{R} \times \mathbb{R}^{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^N,\) \(\mathbf{A}(x,t,u,\xi)\cdot\xi \ge C_o |\xi|^p, \ |\mathbf{A}(x,t,u,\xi)| \le C_1 |\xi|^{p-1} \) a.e. \ \((x,t) \in E_T, \ \forall u \in \mathbb{R},\ \forall \xi \in \mathbb{R}^N, \) \ \(\mathbf{n}\) is outward unit normal to \(\partial E\). 1. Dirichlet problem with \(p \ge 2\). There is proved that the weak bounded solution \(u\) is continuous in \(\overline{E_T}\) and its modulus of continuity \(\omega(r)\) exists, \( r = |x_1 - x_2| + |t_1 - t_2|^{1/2}\). If moduli of continuity \(\omega_{o}(r)\), \ \(\omega_{g}(r)\) of the functions \(\ u_o, \ g \) satisfy the inequalities \( \omega_{o}(r) \le \frac{C_{u_o}}{|\ln r|^\lambda},\) \ \(\omega_{g}(r) \le \frac{C_{g}}{|\ln r|^\lambda}\) \ for all \(r \in (0,\overline{\varrho}),\) \ then \(\omega(r) = C\big(\ln \frac{\overline{\varrho}}{r}|\big)^{-\sigma/2}\) for all \(r \in (0,\overline{\varrho})\), where \(\overline{\varrho},\,\sigma \in (0,1), \ \lambda > \sigma\). 2. Neumann problem with \(p = 2\). Let \(\partial E \in C^1\). There is proved that the weak bounded solution \(u\) is continuous in \(\overline{E_T}\) and its modulus of continuity \(\omega(r)\) exists. If \(\omega_{o}(r) \le \frac{C_{u_o}}{|\ln r|^\lambda}\) \ for all \(r \in (0,1)\), then \(\omega(r) = C\big(\ln \frac{1}{r}|\big)^{-\sigma/2}\) \ for all \(r \in (0,1)\), where \(\sigma \in (0,1), \ \lambda > \sigma\). Here \(C_{u_o}, \ C_{g}, C\) are positive constants.