Partial regularity for variational integrals with \((s,\mu,q)\)-growth (Q5956941)

The authors consider the vector integral functional \[ J(u) = \int_\Omega f(Du) dx \] when \(f\in C^2(\mathbb{R}^{nN})\) (where \(\mathbb{R}^{nN}\) denotes the set of all \(n\times N\) matrices) satisfies suitable growth conditions depending on three real parameters \(s \geq 1\), \(q>1\) and \(\mu\) such that \(q<2-\mu+2s/n\). Specifically, they assume first that there is a function \(F\colon [0,\infty)\to [0,\infty)\) such that \[ \lim_{t\to\infty} \frac {F(t)}t =\infty, \quad \liminf_{t\to\infty} \frac {F(t)}{t^s} >0 \] and \[ \inf_{Z\in \mathbb{R}^{nN}} \frac {f(Z)}{F(|Z|)} >0. \] They also assume that there are positive constants such that \[ \lambda(1+|Z|^2)^{-\mu/2} |Y|^2 \leq D^2(Z)(Y,Y) \leq \Lambda \lambda(1+|Z|^2)^{(q-2/2} |Y|^2 \] for all \(Z\) and \(Y\) in \(\mathbb{R}^{nN}\). Since \(u\) is a vector-valued function, one cannot expect it to be globally smooth. Instead, the authors prove a partial regularity result, namely, that, for any local minimizer, \(u\), of \(J\) there is a closed subset \(K\) of \(\Omega\) with zero measure such that \(u\) has Hölder continuous derivatives on \(\Omega\setminus K\). Examples are given to illustrate \((s,\mu,q)\) growth, with the model case being \(f(Z)=|Z|\ln(1+ |Z|)\), with \(s=\mu=1\) and \(q=1+\varepsilon\) for some \(\varepsilon \in (0,n/2)\) and \(F(t) = t\ln(1+t)\). Other examples demonstrate the relation between this result and other similar ones. The proof is via a blow-up argument.