Existence of positive definite noncoercive sums of squares

Positive definite forms $f$ which are sums of squares are constructed to have the additional property that the members of any collection of forms whose squares sum to $f$ must share a nontrivial complex root.Comment: 27 page

Optimal solvability for the Dirichlet and Neumann problem in dimension two

We show existence and uniqueness for the solutions of the regularity and the Neumann problems for harmonic functions on Lipschitz domains with data in the Hardy spaces H^p, p>2/3, where This in turn implies that solutions to the Dirichlet problem with data in the Holder class C^{1/2}(\partial D) are themselves in C^{1/2}(D). Both of these results are sharp. In fact, we prove a more general statement regarding the H^p solvability for divergence form elliptic equations with bounded measurable coefficients. We also prove similar solvability result for the regularity and Dirichlet problem for the biharmonic equation on Lipschitz domains

Counterexamples and uniqueness for Lp(∂Ω) oblique derivative problems

AbstractHarmonic functions defined in Lipschitz domains of the plane that have gradient nontangentially in L2 and have nonnegative oblique derivative almost everywhere on the boundary with respect to a continuous transverse vector field are shown to be constant. Explicit examples that have almost everywhere vanishing oblique derivative are constructed when L2 is replaced by Lp, p<2. Explicit examples with vanishing oblique derivative are constructed when p⩽2 and the continuous vector field is replaced by large perturbations of the normal vector field. Optimal bounds on the perturbation, depending on p⩽2 and the Lipschitz constant, are given which imply that only the constant solution has nonnegative oblique derivative almost everywhere. Examples are constructed in higher dimensions and the Fredholm properties of certain nonvariational layer potentials discussed

The mixed problem for harmonic functions in polyhedra

R. M. Brown's theorem on mixed Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions is extended in two ways for the special case of polyhedral domains. A (1) more general partition of the boundary into Dirichlet and Neumann sets is used on (2) manifold boundaries that are not locally given as the graphs of functions. Examples are constructed to illustrate necessity and other implications of the geometric hypotheses

Traces, extensions and co-normal derivatives for elliptic systems on Lipschitz domains

This is the post-print version of the article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierFor functions from the Sobolev space H^s(\Omega­), 1/2 < s < 3/2 , definitions of non-unique generalized and unique canonical co-normal derivative are considered, which are related to possible extensions of a partial differential operator and its right hand side from the domain­, where they are prescribed, to the domain boundary, where they are not. Revision of the boundary value problem settings, which makes them insensitive to the generalized co-normal derivative inherent non-uniqueness are given. It is shown, that the canonical co-normal derivatives, although de¯ned on a more narrow function class than the generalized ones, are continuous extensions of the classical co-norma derivatives. Some new results about trace operator estimates and Sobolev spaces haracterizations, are also presented

On thin plate spline interpolation

We present a simple, PDE-based proof of the result [M. Johnson, 2001] that the error estimates of [J. Duchon, 1978] for thin plate spline interpolation can be improved by $h^{1/2}$. We illustrate that ${\mathcal H}$-matrix techniques can successfully be employed to solve very large thin plate spline interpolation problem

Aspherical gravitational monopoles

We show how to construct non-spherically-symmetric extended bodies of uniform density behaving exactly as pointlike masses. These ``gravitational monopoles'' have the following equivalent properties: (i) they generate, outside them, a spherically-symmetric gravitational potential $M/|x - x_O|$; (ii) their interaction energy with an external gravitational potential $U(x)$ is $- M U(x_O)$; and (iii) all their multipole moments (of order $l \geq 1$) with respect to their center of mass $O$ vanish identically. The method applies for any number of space dimensions. The free parameters entering the construction are: (1) an arbitrary surface $\Sigma$ bounding a connected open subset $\Omega$ of $R^3$; (2) the arbitrary choice of the center of mass $O$ within $\Omega$; and (3) the total volume of the body. An extension of the method allows one to construct homogeneous bodies which are gravitationally equivalent (in the sense of having exactly the same multipole moments) to any given body.Comment: 55 pages, Latex , submitted to Nucl.Phys.