On the Newton partially flat minimal resistance body type problems (Q2388674)

The paper deals with integral functionals of the calculus of variations of the form \[ I(u)=\int_\Omega F\bigl(|\nabla u|\bigr)dx \] which include the one that occurs in the Newton's problem of aerodynamical minimal resistance profiles, where \(F(s)=1/(1+s^2)\). Here it is assumed that \(F(s)\geq 0\) and that \[ F(s)\to 0\text{ as } s\to+\infty. \] Given \(M>0\) the minimization problem for \(I(u)\) is usually considered in the admissible class \(\{0\leq u(x)\leq M\}\) with a concavity constraint of the functions \(u\). In the paper the authors consider the Euler-Lagrange variational inequality associated to the functional \(I\) above and refer to it as to the ``obstacle problem''. The case of radial solutions is considered in Section 3. In general, radial functions do not minimize the functional \(I\); however the optimum among radial functions exists and is often unique. A similar result is shown for the obstacle problem considered in the paper. Other issues that the authors study are concerned with the regularity of solutions (that are not of class \(C^1)\) and with the form of the top level set \(\{u=M\}\). In particular, it is shown that for the solutions of the obstacle problem the top level set \(\{u=M\}\) contains an open set.