Eigenvalue, maximum principle and regularity for fully non linear homogeneous operators (Q2467093)

The authors extend results of their previous paper [Adv. Differ. Equ. 11, No. 1, 91--119 (2006; Zbl 1132.35427)]. Precisely, define \[ G(x,u,\nabla u, D^2u)=F(x,\nabla u, D^2u)+b(x)\cdot \nabla u| \nabla u| ^\alpha+c(x)| u| ^\alpha u, \] where \(F\) is continuous on \(\Omega\times \mathbb{R}^N\times S\), \(S\) being the space of \(N\times N\) symmetric matrices. Moreover, \(F\) satisfies, for all real number \(t\) and all non negative \(\mu\) \[ F(x,t p,\mu X)=| t| ^\alpha\mu F(x,p,X), \] and for all \(p\in \mathbb{R}^N\setminus \{0\}\), \(M\in S\), \(N\in S\) with \(N\geq 0\), \(\alpha>-1\), \(0<a\leq A\) \[ a| p| ^\alpha \mathrm{tr}(N)\leq F(x,p,M+N)-F(x,p,M)\leq A| p| ^\alpha \mathrm{tr}(N). \] Moreover, suitable conditions about the uniform continuity of \(F(x,p,X)\) are assumed. The functions \(b:\Omega\to \mathbb{R}^N\) and \(c:\Omega\to \mathbb{R}\), are supposed to be continuous and bounded. Additional conditions are assumed to prove specific theorems. The main object of the work is the following definition of eigenvalue \[ \overline\lambda=\sup\{\lambda\in \mathbb{R}:\exists \phi>0 \text{ in } \Omega,\;G(x,\phi,\nabla \phi,D^2\phi)+\lambda \phi^{1+\alpha}\leq 0\}, \] where the inequality is understood in the viscosity sense. The following results are proved. (i) If \(f\leq 0\) is bounded and continuous in \(\Omega\), and if \(\lambda<\overline\lambda\) then there exists a nonnegative solution of the problem \[ G(x,u,\nabla u, D^2u)+\lambda u^{1+\alpha}=f \text{ in }\;\Omega,\;u=0 \text{ on } \;\partial\Omega. \] (ii) There exists \(\phi>0\) in \(\Omega\) such that \(\phi\) is a viscosity solution of \[ G(x,\phi,\nabla \phi, D^2\phi)+\lambda \phi^{1+\alpha}=f \text{ in }\;\Omega,\;\phi=0\;\text{ on }\;\partial\Omega. \] (iii) \(\phi\) is \(\gamma\)-Hölder continuous for all \(\gamma\in (0,1)\) and locally Lipschitz continuous. To get the previous results, the authors prove a comparison principle and some boundary estimates which may have a own interest. Also, they prove regularity results which give the required relative compactness used to prove the main existence theorem.