The Strong Maximum Principle and the Harnack inequality for a class of hypoelliptic divergence-form operators

Erika Battaglia; Stefano Biagi; Andrea Bonfiglioli

Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1407.1669

The Strong Maximum Principle and the Harnack inequality for a class of hypoelliptic divergence-form operators

Erika Battaglia·Stefano Biagi·Andrea Bonfiglioli

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

In this paper we consider a class of hypoelliptic second-order partial differential operators $\mathcal{L}$ in divergence form on $\mathbb{R}^N$, arising from CR geometry and Lie group theory, and we prove the Strong and Weak Maximum Principles and the Harnack Inequality for $\mathcal{L}$. The involved operators are not assumed to belong to the H\"ormander hypoellipticity class, nor to satisfy subelliptic estimates, nor Muckenhoupt-type estimates on the degeneracy of the second order part; indeed our results hold true in the infinitely-degenerate case and for operators which are not necessarily sums of squares. We use a Control Theory result on hypoellipticity in order to recover a meaningful geometric information on connectivity and maxima propagation, yet in the absence of any H\"ormander condition. For operators $\mathcal{L}$ with $C^\omega$ coefficients, this control-theoretic result will also imply a Unique Continuation property for the $\mathcal{L}$-harmonic functions. The (Strong) Harnack Inequality is obtained via the Weak Harnack Inequality by means of a Potential Theory argument, and by a crucial use of the Strong Maximum Principle and the solvability of the Dirichlet problem for $\mathcal{L}$ on a basis of the Euclidean topology.

Explore related subjects

math.AP

Keep this discovery

BibTeX RIS

Erika Battaglia, Stefano Biagi, Andrea Bonfiglioli. 2014-07-07. The Strong Maximum Principle and the Harnack inequality for a class of hypoelliptic divergence-form operators. https://arxiv.org/abs/1407.1669

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Well-posedness of the two-dimensional unsteady Prandtl system in Sobolev space with degenerate critical points

This paper is devoted to the well-posedness of classical Prandtl equations in a finite order Sobolev space. For a initial data with degenerate critical points and general outflow, we obtain the local-in-time existence and uniqueness of the solution to the Prandtl equations in a Sobolev space, by introducing a new iteration scheme and linear cancelation. This result shows that Oleinik's monotonicity condition is not a necessary condition for the Prandtl equations to be well-posed in Sobolev spaces and provides evidence to demonstrate that zero shear stress does not necessarily lead to boundary layer separation in two-dimensional unsteady boundary layers.

math.AP↗

arXiv2026

Global existence and time decay for a bipolar Euler-Poisson system with one pressureless and undamped fluid

We study the Cauchy problem for a three-dimensional bipolar Euler--Poisson system in which one fluid is pressureless and undamped, while the other is subject to momentum relaxation. For sufficiently small smooth perturbations of a constant equilibrium, we prove the global existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions under an irrotationality assumption on the initial velocity of the pressureless fluid, together with algebraic time-decay estimates. The main difficulty is that the velocity of the pressureless fluid is dissipated only indirectly through the Poisson coupling, and this mechanism degenerates strongly at high frequencies, leading to a regularity-loss structure. We overcome this difficulty by combining refined Green-function estimates, a low--middle--high frequency decomposition, and high-order nonlinear energy estimates adapted to the asymmetric regularity hierarchy. The result establishes a global small-data theory for this asymmetric regime, in which pressure and damping are simultaneously absent from the same fluid.

math.AP↗

arXiv2026

Boundary layer of 2D Chemotaxis Navier-Stokes equations with logarithmic Sensitivity. II. viscous vanishing limit

This is the second part of a two-part work concerning boundary layer solutions to the coupled Chemotaxis-Navier-Stokes system in the two-dimensional half-space. In the present work, we address the convergence of boundary layer solutions to singular chemotaxis-fluid equations under slip boundary conditions with respect to the chemical diffusion-viscosity parameter $\varepsilon$ in the two-dimensional half-plane. More precisely, we show that the boundary layer for $\varepsilon>0$ (viscous convection coefficient) converges to the superposition of the outer layer (solution with $\varepsilon=0$) and the inner layer as $\varepsilon\rightarrow0$. The outer and inner profiles are explicitly derived as in the first part\cite{WWZ}. Furthermore, the well-posedness results of the coupled Chemotaxis-Navier-Stokes system in conormal Sobolev spaces will be presented in Appendix. They answer the question mentioned in the first part of the two-part work. This study could help the understanding of the chemotactic movement of aerobic bacteria to the water-air surface observed experimentally in fluids, and enrich the theoretical results of boundary layer in chemotactic fluid models.

math.AP↗