Gradient estimates for directional homogenization of elliptic systems (Q2041727)

In the paper under review, the authors study the uniform (in \(\varepsilon\)) regularity properties of the following directional homogenization problem: \[-\text{div}\left(a^{ij}_{\alpha\beta}\left(x',\frac{x''}{\varepsilon}\right)\nabla_j u_\varepsilon^\beta\right)=\text{div} f\mbox{ in }\Omega\subseteq\mathbb{R}^N\] where \(0<\varepsilon \ll 1\), and \(A = (a_{\alpha\beta}^{ij})\) is a fourth-order tensor, \(x''=(x_{q+1},x_{q+2},\ldots,x_N)\) are called homogenization or oscillating directions, whereas \(x'=(x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_q)\) are called non-oscillating directions. The main results are as follows: \begin{itemize} \item[(i)] Uniform \(W^{1,p}_{\text{loc}}\) estimates when \(A\) is continuous in non-oscillating directions, measurable in one of the oscillating variables and \((\delta\)-\(\mathcal{R})\)-vanishing (a variation on \(VMO\)) in the rest of the variables. \item[(ii)] Uniform \(W^{1,\infty}_{\text{loc}}\) estimates when \(A\) is Dini continuous in all directions except one direction in which it is merely measurable. \item[(iii)] Uniform \(C^{1,\gamma}_{\text{loc}}\) estimates in the non-oscillating directions when \(A\) is \(C^\gamma\) in non-oscillating directions, measurable in one of the oscillating variables and Dini-continuous in the rest of the variables. \end{itemize} The \(W^{1,\infty}\) estimates obtained here weaken the regularity requirements on the coefficients in [\textit{M. Avellaneda} and \textit{F.-H. Lin}, Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 40, No. 6, 803--847 (1987; Zbl 0632.35018)]. The Schauder estimates on directional regularity in non-oscillating directions complement and refine those of \textit{H. Dong} and \textit{S. Kim} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2019, No. 7, 2085--2136 (2019; Zbl 1428.35059)]. The methods used are compactness methods pioneered by Avellaneda-Lin and method of freezing the coefficients from Schauder theory. Avellaneda and Lin started the study of uniform Hölder and Lipschitz regularity properties of solutions to homogenization problems. Standard regularity theory gives \(\varepsilon\)-dependent regularity estimates for solutions of homogenization problems. However, through compactness methods in regularity theory, Avellaneda and Lin were able to exploit the periodicity of the coefficients and the smoothness of the solutions of the homogenized equations to obtain uniform Hölder and Lipschitz regularity for \(u_\varepsilon\).