Quasiminima of some degenerate functionals (Q1078505)

The author considers functionals of the type \[ (1)\quad {\mathcal F}(u,\Omega)=\int_{\Omega}f(x,u(x),Du(x))dx \] where \(\Omega \subset R^ n\), \(n\geq 2\); \(u: \Omega\) \(\to R^ N\), \(N\geq 1\) and f(x,u,p): \(\Omega\) \(\times R^ N\times R^{nN}\to R\) is a Carathéodory function, i.e. measurable in x for each \((u,p)\in R^ N\times R^{nN}\) and continuous in (u,p) for almost every \(x\in \Omega\). Moreover, f satisfies the following condition: \[ (2)\quad a(x)\{| p|^ m- b(x)| u|^{\gamma}-g(x)\}\leq f(x,u,p)\leq a(x)\{\mu | p|^ m+b(x\quad)| u|^{\gamma}+g(x)\} \] where \(m>1\), \(\mu >1\) and a, b, g are measurable functions with a(x)\(\geq 0.\) \textit{M. Giaquinta} and \textit{E. Giusti} [Acta Math. 148, 31-46 (1982; Zbl 0494.49031); Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Anal. Non Linéaire 1, 79-107 (1984; Zbl 0541.49008)] have introduced direct methods working with the functional \({\mathcal F}\) instead with its Euler equation in order to investigate the regularity for the minima and quasiminima of (1), (2), without any hypothesis of differentiability, in the case \(a(x)=1\). In this way Giaquinta and Giusti have been able to provide a unified treatment of minima of functionals and solutions of elliptic partial differential equations. The author extends some of the regularity results for the minima and quasiminima of functionals of type (1), (2) (under some additional hypothesis) to the case \(a(x)\in A_ m(p)\), where \(A_ m(p)\) is the class of \textit{B. Muckenhoupt} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 165, 207-274 (1972; Zbl 0236.26016)]. A partial regularity result is also given for vector valued minima of some degenerate quadratic functionals.