A weighted isoperimetric inequality in an orthant (Q2509975)

Let \(W\) denote the positive orthant in \(\mathbb{R}^N\) and define a measure \(\mu\) by \(d\mu= \phi(x)\,dx\), where \(\phi(x)= e^{c|x|^2}\cdot x^{k_1}_1\cdots x^{k_N}_N\), with \(c\), \(k_1\),\dots, \(k_N\) nonnegative real numbers. The authors prove that among all measurable subsets of \(W\) with fixed measure \(\mu\), the intersection of \(W\) with a ball centered at the origin renders the weighted perimeter relative to \(W\) a minimum. Some applications of this result are provided. For example, a Pólya-Szegő type inequality, involving the weighted Sobolev norms of a given function and of its rearrangements with respect to the measure, follows. Furthermore, the theorem gives rise to a sharp comparison result for degenerate elliptic boundary value problems on a subset of \(W\). The results are too involved to be stated here.