Supercaloric functions for the parabolic $p$-Laplace equation in the fast diffusion case

Abstract

We study a generalized class of supersolutions, so-called $p$-supercaloric functions, to the parabolic $p$-Laplace equation. This class of functions is defined as lower semicontinuous functions that are finite in a dense set and satisfy the parabolic comparison principle. Their properties are relatively well understood for $p\geq 2$, but little is known in the fast diffusion case $1<p<2$. Every bounded $p$-supercaloric function belongs to the natural Sobolev space and is a weak supersolution to the parabolic $p$-Laplace equation for the entire range $1<p<\infty$. Our main result shows that unbounded $p$-supercaloric functions are divided into two mutually exclusive classes with sharp local integrability estimates for the function and its weak gradient in the supercritical case $\frac{2n}{n+1}<p<2$. The Barenblatt solution and the infinite point source solution show that both alternatives occur. Barenblatt solutions do not exist in the subcritical case $1<p\leq \frac{2n}{n+1}$ and the theory is not yet well understood.