The Dirichlet problem without the maximum principle (Q2421925)

This paper deals with the Dirichlet problem to the elliptic linear operator \[A=-\sum^d_{k,l=1} \partial_k a_{kl}\partial_l- \sum^d_{k=1}\partial_k b_k+ \sum^d_{k=1} c_k\partial_k+ c_0\] on a bounded Wiener regular open set \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^d\), \(d\ge2\). The real-valued coefficients \(a_{kl},c_k\in L^\infty(\Omega)\), while \(b_kc_0\in L^\infty(\Omega,\mathbb{C})\). We remind that \(\Omega\) is called Wiener regular for the Laplace operator \(\Delta\) if for every \(\varphi\in C(\Gamma)\), \(\Gamma=\partial\Omega\) one can find a unique \(u\in C(\overline\Omega)\) such that \(u|_\Gamma= \varphi\) and \(\Delta u=0\) in distribution sense in \(\Omega\). The bilinear form \(a:H^1(\Omega)\times H^1(\Omega)\to\mathbb{C}\) corresponding to \(A\) is defined in a standard way. Let \(A^D\) be the operator in \(L^2(\Omega)\) with Dirichlet boundary conditions associated with \(a|_{H^1_0(\Omega)\times H^1_0(\Omega)}\). It is assumed further on that \(\text{Ker}\,A^D=\{0\}\), which is equivalent to the uniqueness of the Dirichlet problem. The authors prove in Theorem 1.1 that for all \(\varphi\in C(\Gamma)\) there exists a unique \(u\in C(\overline\Omega)\cap H^1_{\text{loc}}(\Omega)\) such that \(u|_\Gamma= \varphi\), \(Au=0\). Suppose now that \(\Gamma\) is Lipschitz (which implies Wiener regularity of \(\Omega\)). They define the variational solution \(u\) as the unique solution \(u\in H^1(\Omega)\) of \(Au=0\), \(u|_\Gamma= \varphi\in H^{1/2}(\Gamma)\). It is shown in Theorem 1.2 that if \(\varphi\in C(\Gamma)\cap H^{1/2}(\Omega)\) then the solution from Theorem 1.1 coincides with the variational solution, i.e., the solution of Theorem 1.1 belongs to \(H^1(\Omega)\).