Dirichlet problem for evolutionary surfaces of prescribed mean curvature in a non-convex domain (Q1768158)

The authors study the parabolic mean curvature equation \[ D\cdot\left( {{Du}\over{\sqrt{1+| Du| ^2}}} \right) - \partial_t u = NH \quad\text{in}\quad Q_T, \qquad u = \phi \quad\text{on}\quad \partial_p Q_T, \tag{1} \] where \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^N\), \(N\geq 2\), is a bounded domain with smooth boundary, \(Q_T=\Omega\times(0,T)\), \(\partial_p Q_T\) denotes its parabolic boundary, and \(\phi\) is assumed to satisfy an appropriate compatibility condition on \(\partial\Omega\times\{t=0\}\). It is well known that the condition \[ {N\over{N-1}}| H| \leq \Lambda \quad\text{on}\quad \partial\Omega, \tag{2} \] where \(\Lambda\) is the mean curvature of \(\partial\Omega\), is necessary for the existence of solutions of (1) satisfying the boundary condition continuously for arbitrary smooth boundary data \(\phi\). Recently \textit{K.~Hayasida} and \textit{M.~Nakatani} [Nagoya Math. J. 157, 177--209 (2000; Zbl 0965.35068)] studied the time independent version of (1) and showed the existence of solutions satisfying the boundary condition in a suitable weak sense, without assuming (2). Here the authors extend those results to the time dependent setting, under weaker conditions on \(\Omega\) than were imposed previously.