On uniform estimates for Laplace equation in balls with small holes (Q342952)

Let \(B_1\) be the unit ball of \(\mathbb{R}^3\) and let \(T\) be a Lipschitz subdomain of \(B_1\). The author considers the following Dirichlet problem \[ \begin{cases} -\Delta u=\operatorname{div}f &\text{in }B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\\ u=0 &\text{on }\partial B_1\cup \partial (\varepsilon T),\end{cases}\tag{\({P_\varepsilon}\)} \] where \(0<\varepsilon <1\), and \(f\in L^p(B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\mathbb{R}^3)\), with \(p\in (\frac{3}{2},3)\). A uniform \(L^p\)-gradient estimate for the unique solution \(u_\varepsilon\) to problem \((P_\varepsilon)\) is established. More precisely, the author proves that there exists a constant \(C\), independent of \(\varepsilon\), such that \[ \|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^p(B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\mathbb{R}^3)}\leq C\|f\|_{L^p(B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\mathbb{R}^3)}\tag{1} \] for any \(0<\varepsilon <1\). The author also shows that the assumption \(\frac{3}{2}<p<3\) cannot be removed. Indeed, for \(p>3\), the author detects a class of functions \(f\in L^p(B_1,\mathbb{R}^3)\) such that if for all \(0<\varepsilon<1\) small enough a solutions \(u_\varepsilon\) exists, then there holds \(\|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^p(B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\mathbb{R}^3)}\rightarrow +\infty\), as \(\varepsilon\rightarrow 0\). Moreover, for \(1<p<\frac{3}{2}\) and \(T\) with \(C^1\) boundary, the author proves that for each \(0<\varepsilon<1\) there exists a function \(f_\varepsilon\in L^p(B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\mathbb{R}^3)\), with \(\|f_\varepsilon\|_{L^p(B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\mathbb{R}^3)}=1\), such that the unique solution \(u_\varepsilon\) to problem \((P_\varepsilon)\), with \(f=f_\varepsilon\), satisfies \(\|\nabla u_\varepsilon\|_{L^p(B_1\setminus \varepsilon T,\mathbb{R}^3)}\rightarrow +\infty\), as \(\varepsilon\rightarrow 0\). The author points out that the estimate \((1)\) can be extended, by the same proof, to the higher dimension case \(d\geq 4\), with \(\frac{d}{d-1}<p<d\), provided that \(T\) is a closed \(C^1\) subdomain of the unit ball of \(\mathbb{R}^d\). Moreover, as in this case \(d=3\), the assumption \(\frac{d}{d-1}<p<d\) cannot be removed. The proof of (1) is as follows: First, by a rescaling transformation, the author turns problem \((P_\varepsilon)\) into an equivalent problem in the domain \(B_{1/\varepsilon}\setminus T\). After that, the unique solution \(v\) to this problem is decomposed as \(v=\varphi v+(1-\varphi)v\), where \(\varphi\) is a smooth cut-off function with support in \(B_2\). Then, by a carefully analysis of the properties of the functions \(v_1:=\varphi v\) and \(v_2:=(1-\varphi)v\), which involves the Green function of the Laplace equation in the unit ball, the Zigmund-Calderon Theorem, and standard \(L^p\)-inequalities, the author obtains certain \(L^p\) estimates of \(\nabla v_1,\nabla v_2\) which lead to a uniform estimate of \(\|\nabla v\|_{L^p(B_{1/\varepsilon}\setminus T)}\) in terms of \(\|v\|_{L^p(B_{2}\setminus T)}\) and the \(L^p(B_{1/\varepsilon}\setminus T)\)-norm of the source term. Finally, this last estimate is used to obtain \((1)\).