Symmetrization inequalities for difference equations on graphs (Q1284503)

The author proves symmetrization inequalities for positive solutions of difference equations of the form \[ -\Delta u=\Phi(u)-cu+\lambda, \] where \(\Delta\) is a discrete Laplacian, \(\Phi\) is a convex decreasing function, \(c\) is a positive function and \(\lambda\) is a real function, on subsets of \(X\times Y\), where \(X\) is a graph and \(Y\) is the \(\mathbb{Z}\) line, the circle graph \(\mathbb{Z}_m\), the \(m\)-regular tree \(T_m\), the line graph \(L(T_m)\) of \(T_m\), or the edge graph of the octahedron. Instead of \(\Delta\), he considers also other operators, including the heat operator. The typical result says that if one uses a discrete version of the Steiner symmetrization to symmetrize the domain on which the equation is defined, and if all the functions and boundary values involved are appropriately symmetrized as well, then the increasing convex means of \(u(x,\cdot)\) are increased for each fixed \(x\in X\).