Monotonicity for the fractional semi-linear problem in a half space

Abstract

In this paper, we study semilinear fractional equations $$(-\Delta)^s u(x) = f(u(x))$$ in a half-space and prove that all positive solutions are strictly increasing in the $x_n$-direction. Previous results typically require the solution $u$ to be globally bounded in $\mathbb{R}^n$. We substantially weaken this condition by assuming only that $u$ be bounded in each slab. Moreover, our analysis relies solely on the local Lipschitz continuity of the nonlinearity $f$, which is weaker than the conditions imposed in earlier works. As a crucial ingredient, we obtained a boundary H\"{older} regularity estimate that requires only the boundedness of $u$ near the boundary. This represents a significant improvement over existing results, which often assumed global boundedness of $u$ throughout $\mathbb{R}^n$. The proof introduces a new idea that may be of independent interest. To derive the monotonicity, we employ the method of moving planes. We first obtain a narrow region principle in unbounded domains, which ensures that the moving plane procedure can be initiated from $x_n = 0$. We then establish two averaging effects for the solutions to fractional equations. These key ingredients guarantee that the planes can be moved continuously all the way to $x_n = \infty$. Previously, narrow region principle can only be applied to a single narrow region. It is for the first time that we establish a multiple narrow region principle that can be applied simultaneously to finitely many narrow regions. Compared with the traditional approaches, methods based on the {\em averaging effect} require substantially weaker regularity assumptions and can even accommodate unbounded solutions. We believe that these new ideas and techniques develop here will serve as powerful tools in studying qualitative properties of solutions to fractional equations.