Evolutionary existence proofs for the pendant drop and \(n\)-dimensional catenary problems (Q1326973)

The author deals with the Dirichlet problem of two elliptic equations involving the minimal surface operator \(Au = - D_ i (D_ iu/ \sqrt {1+ | Du |^ 2})\), \(D_ i u = \partial u/ \partial x_ i\), namely (i) the ``hanging drop problem'' \(-Au + \kappa u = 0\) on \(\Omega\), \(u = \varphi\) on \(\partial \Omega\), and (ii) the ``hanging roof problem'' \(- \sqrt {1+ | Du |^ 2} Au - 1/u =0\) on \(\Omega\), \(u = \varphi\) on \(\partial \Omega\). Here \(\Omega\) denotes a bounded domain in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) of class \(C^{2,\alpha}\) with boundary \(\partial \Omega\) of positive inward mean curvature, \(\kappa\) is a positive constant, and \(\varphi\) are boundary data of class \(C^{2, \alpha}\). The solvability of (i) and (ii) under suitable further conditions has been established by various authors, working with elliptic methods. In contrast, it is intention of the author to solve (i) and (ii) by evolutionary methods, i.e. to obtain solutions of (i) and (ii) as limits for ``time'' \(t \to + \infty\) of solutions \(u(x,t)\) of suitable parabolic flows, a general method which in recent times has been applied by numerous authors to a variety of geometrical problems. For problem (i) the author uses two different flows, namely (i') \(\dot u = \sqrt {1+ | Du |^ 2} (- Au + \kappa u)\) and (i'') \(\dot u = - Au + \kappa u\), with \(\dot u = \partial u/ \partial t\), whereas for problem (ii) the flow (ii') \(\dot u = - \sqrt {1+ | Du |^ 2} Au - 1/u\) is employed. The author demonstrates that the solutions to the initial-boundary value problems of (i') and (i'') exist for all time and converge to a solution of (i) provided that the parameter \(\kappa\) does not exceed a small constant \(\kappa_ 0\) which depends on the data of the problem, including the initial data \(u(x,0)\). For the flow (i') the initial data may be chosen arbitrarily (except, of course, for the compatibility condition \(u(x,0) = \varphi (x)\), \(x \in \partial \Omega)\) whereas for the flow (i'') the additional condition \(u(x,0) \geq m_ 0\), \(m_ 0\) a positive constant, is needed. The latter condition, with a sufficiently big \(m_ 0\) (depending only on \(\Omega)\) is also required for the corresponding result relating to the flow (ii'). The core of the proofs of these results is the derivation of a \(C^ 1\)-bound for \(u(\cdot,t)\) which does not depend on \(t\). In the course of the proof essential use is made of previous results of C. Gerhardt and G. Huisken on the mean curvature flow.