Capacity theory for monotone operators (Q1376532)

Let \(a:\mathbb{R}^n \times\mathbb{R}^n \to\mathbb{R}^n\) be a Carathéodory function which generates the monotone operator \(Au= -\text{div} (a(x,Du))\) with the usual growth, \(a(x,\xi) \cdot \xi \approx|\xi|^p\), \(1<p<\infty\), and decay conditions. Two bounded sets \(E,F \subset \mathbb{R}^n\) are \(C_p\)-compatible if there exists a function \(\psi\in W^{1,p} (\mathbb{R}^n)\) such that \(\psi= 1C_p\)-q.e. (quasieverywhere) on \(E\) and \(\psi=0\) \(C_p\)-q.e. on \(\mathbb{R}^n \setminus F\). Here \(C_p\) refers to the usual variational \(p\)-capacity. For two such sets the \(A\)-capacity of \(E\) in \(F\) is defined as \(C_A(E,F)= \int_{F\setminus E} a(x,Du) \cdot Dudx\) where \(u\) is an \(A\)-potential of \(E\) in \(F\). The latter means that \(u\) is a solution to the Dirichlet problem \[ u-\psi\in W_0^{1,p} (F\setminus E), \quad Au=0 \text{ in } W^{-1,q} (F\setminus E),\;p^{-1} +q^{-1} =1. \] The authors study \(C_A(E,F)\): this includes monotonicity and subadditivity properties, continuity and approximation (Choquet-property) with respect to \(E\) and \(F\). Under somewhat more restrictive conditions for \(a\) but for more general measures the corresponding capacity is studied in [\textit{J. Heinonen}, \textit{T. Kilpeläinen} and \textit{O. Martio}, Nonlinear potential theory of degenerate elliptic equations, Clarendon Press (1993; Zbl 0780.31001)].