Uniform convexity, uniform monotonicity and \((\phi,c)\)-subdifferentiability with application to nonlinear PDE (Q2128776)

This paper deals with the study of a new subclass of convex functions, namely uniformly convex functions. In fact, this class is a slight extension of the class introduced earlier by \textit{C. Zalinescu} [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 95, 344--374 (1983; Zbl 0519.49010); Convex analysis in general vector spaces. Singapore: World Scientific (2002; Zbl 1023.46003)]. A characterization of such a class of functions is presented in terms of the uniform monotonicity of its Clarke subdifferential and an existence result is established for unconstrained optimization problems with a uniformly convex objective function in a Banach space. Further a crucial tool in the numerical side to ensure the convergence of every minimizing sequence to the minimal solution is provided. These results help to deduce the Minty-Browder theorem for a special class of monotone operators in a reflexive Banach space and find out a new proof for the Lax-Milgram theorem. Finally, the existence and uniqueness of a weak solution for the \(p\)-Laplacian problem are established.