On a class of singular nonlinear parabolic variational inequalities (Q1191331)

The paper considers a singular variational inequality of the form \[ \begin{cases} u(t)\in K,\;t\in (0,T);\\ (tu'(t)+L(t)u(t)-f(t), v-u(t))\geq 0\quad\text{for all } v\in K,\;t\in (0,T);\end{cases}\tag{1} \] where \((\cdot,\cdot)\) denotes the duality pairing between Banach spaces \(V^*\) and \(V\); \(K\) is a closed convex subset of \(V\), \(0\in K\); \(f(t)\in V^*\), \(t\in (0,T)\); \(L(t): V\to V^*\) is a hemicontinuous nonlinear operator of monotone type, \(t\in (0,T)\). The characteristic feature of problem (1) is that \(L(t)\) may be singular at \(t=0\). Using penalty and monotonicity techniques it is proved that under a coercivity assumption there exists a unique solution to (1) in suitable Banach weighted space. This result was previously known for the case of a linear and continuous operator \(L(t)\).