Vector-valued parabolic \(\omega\)-minimizers (Q462166)

\textit{M. Giaquinta} and \textit{E. Giusti} [Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Anal. Non Linéaire 1, 79--107 (1984; Zbl 0541.49008)] started the investigation of quasi miminimizers of integral functionals. In this paper the author generalizes their regularity results to the gradient of vector-valued almost minimizers. The parabolic nature of the problem, in combination with the fact, that almost minimizers, in general, do not satisfy any associated parabolic partial differential equation, causes a variety of difficulties in regularity theory, that the author is extremely good to overcome. The author proves Hölder continuity for the spatial gradient of an almost minimizer on an open set of full Lebesgue measure. As classical counter examples show, these regularity results which are optimal if we are dealing with general almost minimizers and dimensions of the space strictly greater than one. For readibility reasons, the paper is splitted in two parts. The first part of the paper (Chapter 4) covers integral functionals, which involve merely the spatial gradient of the almost minimizing function. In this case, the author obtains a partial Hölder regularity result for the spatial gradient with a Hölder exponent, which can be determined in a quantified way in dependence of the data of the problem. In the second part (Chapter 5), the author develops the theory for integrands, which involve not only the spatial gradient, but also the almost minimizer itself. In this more general case, the proof becomes substantially more involved, since a priori higher integrability of the spatial gradient has to be used. As a consequence, the explicit control on the Hölder continuity exponent gets lost. This is also in accordance with the elliptic theory where the same phenomenon occurs.