Unilateral problems with measure data. (Q5932183)

The authors deal with solutions of variational inequalities like: \[ \begin{cases} \langle-\text{div\,}a(.,u,Du)- f, v-u\rangle\geq 0,\quad &v\in K,\\ u= 0\text{ on }\partial\Omega,\quad &u\in K,\end{cases} \] where \(K\) is an unilateral convex set in a suitable functional space and \(\Omega\) is open in \(\mathbb{R}^n\). The operator \(u\to \text{div\,}a(.,u,Du)\) is multivalued and the above inequality means, when for example \(u,v\in H^{1,p}_0(\Omega)\), that \[ \int_\Omega \langle g,D(v-u)\rangle\,dx\geq \langle f,v-u\rangle \] for a suitable selection \(g\) of \(u\to a(.,u,Du)\). On the multivalued function \(a(x,s,\xi)\) are required coercivity and growth conditions, a suitable regularity condition on the second variable and maximal monotonicity on \(\xi\). In virtue of the notion of renormalized or entropic solution, developed by many authors (Di Perna, Lions, Murat, Boccardo, Gallouet, Rakotoson,\dots), the above inequality is meaningful. Thanks to a priori estimates (proved in Section 2) the authors obtain the existence of the solution of some problems involving measure data and in particular they prove some theorems that extend previous results of L. Boccardo and R. and J. Di Perna -- P. L. Lions.