Regularity results for generalized double phase functionals (Q2210873)

This paper investigates the regularity of so-called quasiminimizers of functionals of the form \[ v\in W^{1,1}(\Omega)\mapsto \int_\Omega [G(|Dv|)+a(x)H(|Dv|)]dx, \] where \(G,H:[0,+\infty)\to [0,+\infty)\) are Young functions satisfying a suitable gap condition, the modularity coefficient \(a:\Omega\to[0,+\infty)\) is a continuous function and \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^n\), \(n\ge 2\), is a bounded domain. Clearly, the energy density changes its growth and ellipticity properties according to \(a\). Such double phase functionals are natural generalizations of more particular ones of so-called \((p,q)\)-type, \[ v\in W^{1,1}(\Omega)\mapsto \int_\Omega [|Dv|^p+a(x)|Dv|^q]dx,\ \ q>p>1 \] or the one in borderline case \[ v\in W^{1,1}(\Omega)\mapsto \int_\Omega [|Dv|^p+a(x)|Dv|^p\ln(1+|Dv|)]dx,\ \ p>1. \] Properties of quasiminimisers of such functionals have been extensively studied in the literature (see the references of this paper). The main goal of the paper under review is to investigate optimal conditions on \(a\) that yield Hölder regularity results for local quasiminimizers. The authors give sufficient conditions on \(a\) under which they obtain local boundedness, Hölder continuity via De Giorgi's method and Harnack inequality. The obtained results seem to complement the ones in a similar context of \textit{P. Harjulehto} et al. [Calc. Var. Partial Differ. Equ. 56, No. 2, Paper No. 22, 26 p. (2017; Zbl 1366.35036)]. The main strategy used in the paper is built upon earlier works of \textit{P. Baroni} et al. [ibid. 57, No. 2, Paper No. 62, 48 p. (2018; Zbl 1394.49034); \textit{M. Colombo} and \textit{G. Mingione}, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 215, No. 2, 443--496 (2015; Zbl 1322.49065); \textit{M. Colombo} and \textit{G. Mingione}, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 218, No. 1, 219--273 (2015; Zbl 1325.49042)].