Regularity for double phase variational problems (Q2255381)

The authors examine a class of integral functionals originally connected to the homogenization theory, as well as the Lavrentiev phenomenon. The problems considered are non-uniformly elliptic, characterized by having non-standard growth conditions. \(P\), the primary functional which is considered, is also of great interest from the regularity theory perspective. Due to substantial technical difficulties, even basic regularity issues, such as continuity or the gradient Hölder continuity of minimizers, have remained unsolved. A useful result obtained is the improved Sobolev-Poincaré inequality. Functionals such as \(P\), whose integrands change their ellipticity rate, are useful in describing the behavior of strongly anisotropic materials. The authors provide in depth proofs of sharp regularity theorems for minimizers of a certain class of variational integrals.