An epiperimetric inequality approach to the parabolic Signorini problem (Q2301706)

In this paper the author follows an epiperimetric inequality approach to study the regularity of the free boundary for the parabolic Signorini problem. More precisely, for \(R>0\) and \(n\ge 2\), let \(\mathbb{R}_+^n=\mathbb{R}^n\cap\{x_n>0\}\), and define \[ S_R^+=\{(x,t) \ | \ x\in \mathbb{R}_+^n, \ t\in [-R,0]\}, \] \[ S_R'=\{(x,t) \ | \ x\in \mathbb{R}^n\cap\{x_n=0\}, \ t\in [-R, 0]\}. \] Let \(u\) be a solution of \[ \partial_t u- \Delta u=f \text{ in } S_2^+\] \[ u\ge 0, \ \ \partial_nu\le 0, \ \ u\partial_nu=0 \text{ on } S_2', \] where \(f\in L^{\infty}(S_2^+)\). The author assumes that \(u\) is normalized in a specific way, that it satisfies the Sobolev regularity in the Gaussian space, and that it satisfies the interior Hölder estimate. Both the Sobolev regularity, and the interior Hölder estimate are satisfied by solutions obtained by solving a variational inequality for the initial value problem in a certain class of functions with mild growth at infinity, and also by solutions obtained as solutions to the Signorini problem in a bounded domain. The main result of this paper proves that if the ``vanishing order'' of a solution at a free boundary point is close to \(3/2\) (the expected lowest vanishing order), or \(2m, m\in\mathbb{N}_+\) (which are the eigenvalues of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck operator \(-\frac{1}{2}\Delta-x\cdot \nabla\) in \(\mathbb{R}^n_+\) with vanishing Neumann boundary condition), then the solution is asymptotically homogeneous. The author proves, as a result, the frequency gap around the free boundary points with vanishing order \(3/2\) and \(2m,\) the openness of the regular free boundary, and its space-time regularity. The key strategy of the paper is to formally formulate the problem in the self-similar conformal coordinates as a gradient flow of the Weiss energy under the convex constraint \(u\ge 0\) on \(\{x_n=0\}\). The main ingredient used is a dynamical system approach, that provides a rate of decay for the Weiss energy \(W_{\kappa}\) for \(\kappa=3/2\) or \(\kappa=2m\), in the self-similar conformal coordinates. The decay estimates for the Weiss energy can be viewed as parabolic epiperimetric inequalities.