On a singular semilinear elliptic boundary value problem and the boundary Harnack principle (Q1611284)

Existence of positive solutions in bounded \(C^2\)-domains \(D\) of \(\mathbb R^d\), \(d\geq 3\), is proved for the semilinear problem \[ \frac{1}{2}\Delta u=f(u)\quad\text{in }D, \quad u= \phi\quad\text{on }\partial D, \] where typically \(f(u)=u^{-\alpha}\), \(0<\alpha<1\). More precisely \(f:(0,\infty)\rightarrow(0,\infty)\) is locally \(C^\alpha\), bounded by \(u^{-\alpha}\) in a neighbourhood of \(0\) and bounded outside this neighbourhood. Since \(f\) is positive (the case \(f\) negative is more frequent in the literature), conditions on \(\phi\) are intricate: given a continuous map \(h_0\) from \(\partial D\) onto \([0,1]\), \(\phi\) is continuous and \(\phi\geq Ch_0\), where the constant \(C>1\) depends on \(h_0\). This covers the case of \(\phi\) which is zero on a fixed subset of \(D\) and bounded below outside this subset. In the proof the solution appears as a fixed point of an integral transformation involving the Green function in \(D\). A boundary Harnack principle for the constructed solution of the semilinear problem is also given, through a short potential theory argument using the fact that it is bounded below by the harmonic function in \(D\) with boundary values \(h_0\).