Some nonstandard problems for a class of quasilinear second order elliptic equations (Q4030867)

The authors study properties of the maximum principle type for the equation \(\Delta u= f(u)\). Let \(\Omega\) be a bounded domain in \(R^ N\). Theorem 1. Let \(\Delta u=f(u)\) in \(\Omega\), \(\Delta v= f(v)\) in \(\Omega\), \(| \text{grad }u|= g(x)\) on \(\partial\Omega\), \(|\text{grad } v|= h(x)\) on \(\partial\Omega\). If \(g<h\), then \(u<v\) and there is at least one point on \(\partial\Omega\), at which \(\partial v/\partial n>- \partial u/\partial n\). Theorem 2. Let \(f'(0)>0\), \(f(0)=0\), \(1/f(u)\) convex. Let \(v\) be a radial solution to the following problem: \[ \Delta v= f(v)\text{ in } | x|< a,\;|\text{grad } v|=c\text{ on }| x|=a\text{ and } \partial v/\partial n\geq 0\text{ on }| x|=a. \] Let \(u\) be a solution of the overdetermined problem: \(\Delta u= f(u)\) in \(\Omega\), \(u=k\) on \(\partial\Omega\), \(|\text{grad } u|= c\) on \(| x|=a\) and the closed ball \(| x|\leq a\) lie inside \(\Omega\). If \(\Omega\) is convex and the minimum value of the unique solution to the problem \(\Delta u= f(u)\) in \(\Omega\), \(u=k\) on \(\partial\Omega\) is attained inside the ball \(| x|< a\), then \(\Omega\) is a ball.