Steiner symmetrization for anisotropic quasilinear equations via partial discretization

Abstract

In this paper we obtain comparison results for the quasilinear equation $-\Delta_{p,x} u - u_{yy} = f$ with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions by Steiner rearrangement in variable $x$, thus solving a long open problem. In fact, we study a broader class of anisotropic problems. Our approach is based on a finite-differences discretization in $y$, and the proof of a comparison principle for the discrete version of the auxiliary problem $A U - U_{yy} \le \int_0^s f^*$, where $AU = (n\omega^{1/n}s^{1/n'} )^p (- U_{ss})^{p-1}$. We show that this operator is T-accretive in $L^\infty$. We extend our results for $-\Delta_{p,x}$ to general operators of the form $-\mathrm{div} (a(|\nabla_x u|) \nabla_x u)$ where $a$ is non-decreasing and behaves like $| \cdot |^{p-2}$ at infinity.