A weighted symmetrization for nonlinear elliptic and parabolic equations in inhomogeneous media (Q874827)

The aim of the paper under review is to extend the basic result of the theory of symmetrization of weak solutions of linear elliptic boundary value problems to weak solutions of certain nonlinear elliptic and parabolic equations. In Section 2, the authors introduce the main definitions and facts used throughout (rearrangement, symmetrization with respect to a measure, mass concentration). Section 3 is devoted to the elliptic problem \[ -\frac{1}{\rho(x)} \sum \limits_{i,j}\partial_i(a_{ij}(x)\partial_j u) = g(x,u) \quad \text{in} \quad B_R(0), \;\;\;\; u=0 \quad \text{on} \quad \partial B_R(0), \] and its symmetrization with respect to the measure \(d\mu=\rho(x)\,dx\) considered in a ball \(B_{R^*}(0)\). The main result is the inequality \[ u^*_\mu(s)\leq\bar{u}(s)\quad \forall \;\; s\in ]0,R^*[, \] where \(u^*_\mu\) is the \(\mu\)-symmetrization of the weak solution \(u\), while \(\bar{u}\) denotes the solution of the symmetrized problem with right hand side \(f^*_\mu\) (\(g(x,u)\leq f(x)u\) for a. e. \(x\) and all \(u\)). The fourth section is concerned with the analogous problem for the equation \[ -\frac{1}{\rho(x)} \sum \limits_{i,j} \partial_i (a_{ij}(x)\partial_j u)+ b(x,u)=f. \] In Section 5 the authors combine the results of the preceding section and the semigroup approach to obtain a corresponding comparison result for the parabolic equation \[ \rho(x)u_t = \sum_{i,j}\partial_i (a_{ij}(x)\partial_j\varphi(u)) + f\rho. \] Section 6 is devoted to the proof of sharp \(L^p\) estimates (including \(p=\infty\)) for the solutions to the Cauchy problem for the inhomogeneous porous medium equation.