Continuity estimates for solutions to the prescribed-curvature Dirichlet problem (Q579516)

We study solutions to the Dirichlet problem for the prescribed mean curvature equation, as well as for more general Weingarten equations. Assuming the solution is smooth in the interior and globally continuous, we use a geometric maximum principle technique to establish modulus of continuity estimates depending only on the boundary value function (and not on the regularity of the domain). Our results improve and extend previous work of the second author and of F. H. Lin and C. P. Lau. For the mean curvature and (elliptic) scalar curvature equations with \(C^ 2\) boundary data \(\phi\), we establish global gradient estimates for \((u- \phi)^ 2\) and hence also global Hölder continuity for u, with exponent 1/2. Such results are the best possible in general. They are of value when studying problems for which the domains or equations are singular (but can be appropriately approximated), since they often imply compactness properties for sequences of solutions.