Quasiconvex variational functionals in Orlicz-Sobolev spaces (Q1947229)

The paper deals with integral functionals of the form \[ J(u)= \int_\Omega f(\nabla u)\,dx, \] where \(\Omega\) is a domain in \(\mathbb{R}^n\), \(u: \Omega\to\mathbb{R}^N\), and \(f: \mathbb{R}^{nN}\to \mathbb{R}\) is a nonnegative \(C^2\) function. The growth conditions on \(f\) are expressed by \[ c_1\phi_1(|Z|)\leq f(Z)\leq c_2(1+ \phi_2(|Z|)),\qquad\forall Z\in\mathbb{R}^{nN}, \] where the two Young functions \(\phi_i\) satisfy \[ \begin{cases} \lambda\phi_i'(t)\leq t\phi_i^{\prime\prime}(t)\leq \Lambda\phi_i'(t)\\ \phi_i(t)\geq bt^2- c\end{cases}\quad\forall t\geq 0,\;\forall i= 1,2. \] Moreover, it is required that \(\phi_1\), \(\phi_2\) also satisfy \[ \int^t_0 (N')^{-1} ds\leq c\phi^q_1(t),\qquad\forall t\gg 1, \] where \(q< n/(n-1)\) and \(N= \phi_1\circ (\phi_2')^{-1}\). The main goal of the paper is to obtain a partial \(C^{1,\alpha}\) regularity result for local minimizers of the integral functional \(J\). More precisely, the authors prove that if \(f\) is strictly \(W^{1,\phi_1}\) quasiconvex, then there exists an open set \(\Omega_0\subset\Omega\) such that \(\text{meas}(\Omega\setminus \Omega_0)= 0\) and \(u\in C^{1,\alpha}(\Omega_0; \mathbb{R}^N)\) for all \(\alpha<1\).