arXiv subjects

Xavier Cabre

Publications and source records attributed to Xavier Cabre.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gradient estimates for the Green kernel under spectral Ricci bounds, and the stable Bernstein theorem in $\mathbb{R}^4$

We describe a method to prove new integral inequalities for stable minimal hypersurfaces in Euclidean space. As an application, we give a simple proof that complete, two sided, stable minimal hypersurfaces in $\mathbb{R}^4$ are hyperplanes. A core part of the argument hinges on the fact that stable minimal hypersurfaces in non-negatively curved spaces are examples of manifolds with a spectral Ricci curvature lower bound; in particular, we prove a sharp pointwise gradient estimate for the Green kernel on non-parabolic manifolds with spectral Ricci lower bounds, extending previous work by Colding.

math.DG↗

arXiv2026

Minimizers for boundary reactions: renormalized energy, location of singularities, and applications

The Casten-Holland and Matano theorem for interior reactions states that no nonconstant stable solutions exist in convex domains $\Omega$ of $\mathbb{R}^n$ under zero Neumann boundary conditions. In this paper we establish that the analogous statement fails for boundary reactions when $n=2$ (that is, for harmonic functions in $\Omega$ with a Neumann reaction term on its boundary $\partial\Omega$). For instance, nonconstant stable solutions exist when $\Omega$ is a square, or a smooth strictly convex approximation of it. In regular polygons of many sides, which approach the circle, we can prove the existence of as many nonconstant stable solutions as wished. Instead, in the circle such stable solutions do not exist. More importantly, we can predict the existence or not of nonconstant stable solutions, as well as the location of its boundary "vortices" $(p,q)$, through the properties of a real function defined on $\partial\Omega\times\partial\Omega$ (the renormalized energy) which depends only on the conformal structure of the domain $\Omega$. This requires the development of a new Ginzburg-Landau theory for real-valued functions and the analysis of the half-Laplacian on the real line.

math.AP↗

arXiv2026

Stable solutions to reaction-diffusion elliptic problems

We are concerned with stable solutions to reaction-diffusion elliptic PDEs. We begin with regularity questions, first addressing the classical Laplacian. In joint work with Figalli, Ros-Oton, and Serra, we proved that stable solutions are smooth up to the optimal dimension 9, thereby solving an open problem posed by Brezis in the mid-1990s. We describe this result and also discuss related progress and open problems for the fractional Laplacian -- arising naturally in boundary reaction problems -- , the $p$-Laplacian, and minimal surfaces. We then turn to existence questions, starting with the Casten-Holland and Matano theorem for interior reactions, which states that no nonconstant stable solution exists in convex domains under zero Neumann boundary conditions. We present a recent result with Consul and Kurzke (forthcoming) establishing that the analogous statement fails for boundary reactions. This requires the development of a new Ginzburg-Landau theory for real-valued functions and the analysis of the half-Laplacian on the real line, for which we present new results and open problems.

math.AP↗

arXiv2025

Regularity of stable solutions to the MEMS problem up to the optimal dimension 6

In this article we address the regularity of stable solutions to semilinear elliptic equations $-\Delta u = f(u)$ with MEMS type nonlinearities. More precisely, we will have $0\leq u \leq 1$ in a domain $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^n$ and $f:[0,1)\to (0,+\infty)$ blowing up at $u=1$ and nonintegrable near 1. In this context, a solution $u$ is regular if $u<1$ in all $\Omega$ or, equivalently, if $-\Delta u = f(u)<+\infty$ in $\Omega$. This paper establishes for the first time interior regularity estimates that are independent of the boundary condition that $u$ may satisfy. Our results hold up to the optimal dimension $n=6$ (there are counterexamples for $n\geq 7$) but require a Crandall-Rabinowitz type assumption on the nonlinearity $f$. Our main estimate controls the $L^\infty$ norm of $F(u)$ in a ball, where $F$ is a primitive of $f$, by only the $L^1$ norm of $u$ in a larger ball. Under the same assumptions, we also give global estimates in dimensions $n\leq 6$ for the Dirichlet problem with vanishing boundary condition, improving previously known results. For $n\leq 2$, we do not need a Crandall-Rabinowitz type assumption and, thus, our global estimate holds for all nonnegative, nondecreasing, convex nonlinearities which blow up at 1 and are nonintegrable near 1.

math.AP↗

arXiv2024

Periodic solutions to integro-differential equations: variational formulation, symmetry, and regularity

We consider nonconstant periodic constrained minimizers of semilinear elliptic equations for integro-differential operators in $\mathbb{R}$. We prove that, after an appropriate translation, each of them is necessarily an even function which is decreasing in half its period. In particular, it has only two critical points in half its period, the absolute maximum and minimum. If these statements hold for all nonconstant periodic solutions, and not only for constrained minimizers, remains as an open problem. Our results apply to operators with kernels in two different classes: kernels $K$ which are convex and kernels for which $K(\tau^{1/2})$ is a completely monotonic function of $\tau$. This last new class arose in our previous work on nonlocal Delaunay surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^n$. Due to their symmetry of revolution, it gave rise to a 1d problem involving an operator with a nonconvex kernel. Our proofs are based on a not so well-known Riesz rearrangement inequality on the circle $\mathbb{S}^1$ established in 1976. We also put in evidence a new regularity fact which is a truly nonlocal-semilinear effect and also occurs in the nonperiodic setting. Namely, for nonlinearities in $C^\beta$ and when $2s+\beta <1$ ($2s$ being the order of the operator), the solution is not always $C^{2s+\beta-\epsilon}$ for all $\epsilon>0$.

math.AP↗

arXiv2023

Null-Lagrangians and calibrations for general nonlocal functionals and an application to the viscosity theory

In this article we build a null-Lagrangian and a calibration for general nonlocal elliptic functionals in the presence of a field of extremals. Thus, our construction assumes the existence of a family of solutions to the Euler-Lagrange equation whose graphs produce a foliation. Then, as a consequence of the calibration, we show the minimality of each leaf in the foliation. Our model case is the energy functional for the fractional Laplacian, for which such a null-Lagrangian was recently discovered by us. As a first application of our calibration, we show that monotone solutions to translation invariant nonlocal equations are minimizers. Our second application is somehow surprising, since here ``minimality'' is assumed instead of being concluded. We will see that the foliation framework is broad enough to provide a proof which establishes that minimizers of nonlocal elliptic functionals are viscosity solutions.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

A Weierstrass extremal field theory for the fractional Laplacian

In this paper we extend, for the first time, part of the Weierstrass extremal field theory in the Calculus of Variations to a nonlocal framework. Our model case is the energy functional for the fractional Laplacian (the Gagliardo-Sobolev seminorm), for which such a theory was still unknown. We build a null-Lagrangian and a calibration for nonlinear equations involving the fractional Laplacian in the presence of a field of extremals. Thus, our construction assumes the existence of a family of solutions to the Euler-Lagrange equation whose graphs produce a foliation. Then, the minimality of each leaf in the foliation follows from the existence of the calibration. As an application, we show that monotone solutions to fractional semilinear equations are minimizers. In a forthcoming work we generalize the theory to a wide class of nonlocal elliptic functionals and give an application to the viscosity theory.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

Estimates controlling a function by only its radial derivative and applications to stable solutions of elliptic equations

We establish two new estimates which control a function (after subtracting its average) in $L^1$ by only the $L^1$ norm of its radial derivative. While the interior estimate holds for all superharmonic functions, the boundary version is much more delicate. It requires the function to be a stable solution of a semilinear elliptic equation with a nonnegative, nondecreasing, and convex nonlinearity. As an application, our estimates provide quantitative proofs of two results established by contradiction-compactness arguments in [Cabre, Figalli, Ros-Oton, and Serra, Acta Math. 224 (2020)]. We recall that this work proved the H\"older regularity of stable solutions to semilinear elliptic equations in the optimal range of dimensions $n \leq 9$.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

Existence and symmetry of periodic nonlocal-CMC surfaces via variational methods

This paper provides the first variational proof of the existence of periodic nonlocal-CMC surfaces. These are nonlocal analogues of the classical Delaunay cylinders. More precisely, we show the existence of a set in $\mathbb{R}^n$ which is periodic in one direction, has a prescribed (but arbitrary) volume within a slab orthogonal to that direction, has constant nonlocal mean curvature, and minimizes an appropriate periodic version of the fractional perimeter functional under the volume constraint. We show, in addition, that the set is cylindrically symmetric and, more significantly, that it is even as well as nonincreasing on half its period. This monotonicity property solves an open problem and an obstruction which arose in an earlier attempt, by other authors, to show the existence of minimizers.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

H\"older regularity of stable solutions to semilinear elliptic equations up to $\mathbf{\mathbb{R}^9}$: full quantitative proofs

This article concerns the results obtained in [Cabr\'e, Figalli, Ros-Oton, and Serra, Acta Math. 224 (2020)], which established the H\"older regularity of stable solutions to semilinear elliptic equations in the optimal range of dimensions $n\leq 9$. For expository purposes, we provide self-contained proofs of all results. They involve only basic Analysis tools and are intended to be accessible to a broader mathematical audience beyond PDE specialists. Two of the results in the 2020 article relied on compactness arguments. Here we present, instead, quantitative proofs from the more recent paper [Cabr\'e, to appear in Amer. J. Math, arXiv:2211.13033]. They allow to quantify the H\"older regularity exponent and simplify significantly the treatment of boundary regularity. We also comment on similar progress and open problems for related equations.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Regularity of stable solutions to reaction-diffusion elliptic equations

The boundedness of stable solutions to semilinear (or reaction-diffusion) elliptic PDEs has been studied since the 1970's. In dimensions 10 and higher, there exist stable energy solutions which are unbounded (or singular). This note describes, for non-expert readers, a recent work in collaboration with Figalli, Ros-Oton, and Serra, where we prove that stable solutions are smooth up to the optimal dimension 9. This answers to an open problem posed by Brezis in the mid-nineties concerning the regularity of extremal solutions to Gelfand-type problems. We also describe, briefly, a famous analogue question in differential geometry: the regularity of stable minimal surfaces.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Stable solutions to the fractional Allen-Cahn equation in the nonlocal perimeter regime

We study stable solutions to the fractional Allen-Cahn equation \linebreak $(-\Delta)^{s/2} u = u-u^3$, $|u|<1$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$. For every $s\in (0,1)$ and dimension $n\geq 2$, we establish sharp energy estimates, density estimates, and the convergence of blow-downs to stable nonlocal $s$-minimal cones. As a consequence, we obtain a new classification result: if for some pair $(n,s)$, with $n\ge 3$, hyperplanes are the only stable nonlocal $s$-minimal cones in $\mathbb{R}^n\setminus\{0\}$, then every stable solution to the fractional Allen-Cahn equation in $\mathbb{R}^n$ is 1D, namely, its level sets are parallel hyperplanes. Combining this result with the classification of stable $s$-minimal cones in $\mathbb{R}^3\setminus\{0\}$ for $s\sim 1$ obtained by the authors in a recent paper, we give positive answers to the "stability conjecture" in $\mathbb{R}^3$ and to the "De Giorgi conjecture" in $\mathbb{R}^4$ for the fractional Allen-Cahn equation when the order $s\in (0,1)$ of the operator is sufficiently close to $1$.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

A universal H\"older estimate up to dimension 4 for stable solutions to half-Laplacian semilinear equations

We study stable solutions to the equation $(-\Delta)^{1/2} u = f(u)$, posed in a bounded domain of $\mathbb{R}^n$. For nonnegative convex nonlinearities, we prove that stable solutions are smooth in dimensions $n\leq 4$. This result, which was known only for $n=1$, follows from a new interior H\"older estimate that is completely independent of the nonlinearity $f$. A main ingredient in our proof is a new geometric form of the stability condition. It is still unknown for other fractions of the Laplacian and, surprisingly, it requires convexity of the nonlinearity. From it, we deduce higher order Sobolev estimates that allow us to extend the techniques developed by Cabr\'e, Figalli, Ros-Oton, and Serra for the Laplacian. In this way we obtain, besides the H\"older bound for $n\leq 4$, a universal $H^{1/2}$ estimate in all dimensions. Our $L^\infty$ bound is expected to hold for $n\leq 8$, but this has been settled only in the radial case or when $f(u) = \lambda e^u$. For other fractions of the Laplacian, the expected optimal dimension for boundedness of stable solutions has been reached only when $f(u) = \lambda e^u$, even in the radial case.

math.AP↗

arXiv2020

The Bernstein technique for integro-differential equations

We extend the classical Bernstein technique to the setting of integro-differential operators. As a consequence, we provide first and one-sided second derivative estimates for solutions to fractional equations, including some convex fully nonlinear equations of order smaller than two -- for which we prove uniform estimates as their order approaches two. Our method is robust enough to be applied to some Pucci-type extremal equations and to obstacle problems for fractional operators, although several of the results are new even in the linear case. We also raise some intriguing open questions, one of them concerning the "pure" linear fractional Laplacian, another one being the validity of one-sided second derivative estimates for Pucci-type convex equations associated to linear operators with general kernels.

math.AP↗

arXiv2020

Optimal regularity of stable solutions to nonlinear equations involving the $p$-Laplacian

We consider the equation $-\Delta_p u=f(u)$ in a smooth bounded domain of $\mathbb{R}^n $, where $\Delta_p$ is the $p$-Laplace operator. Explicit examples of unbounded stable energy solutions are known if $n\geq p+4p/(p-1)$. Instead, when $n<p+4p/(p-1)$, stable solutions have been proved to be bounded only in the radial case or under strong assumptions on $f$. In this article we solve a long-standing open problem: we prove an interior $C^\alpha$ bound for stable solutions which holds for every nonnegative $f\in C^1$ whenever $p\geq2$ and the optimal condition $n<p+4p/(p-1)$ holds. When $p\in(1,2)$, we obtain the same result under the non-sharp assumption $n<5p$. These interior estimates lead to the boundedness of stable and extremal solutions to the associated Dirichlet problem when the domain is strictly convex. Our work extends to the $p$-Laplacian some of the recent results of Figalli, Ros-Oton, Serra, and the first author for the classical Laplacian, which have established the regularity of stable solutions when $p=2$ in the optimal range $n<10$.

math.AP↗

arXiv2020

A fractional Michael-Simon Sobolev inequality on convex hypersurfaces

The classical Michael-Simon and Allard inequality is a Sobolev inequality for functions defined on a submanifold of Euclidean space. It is governed by a universal constant independent of the manifold, but displays on the right-hand side an additional $L^p$ term weighted by the mean curvature of the underlying manifold. We prove here a fractional version of this inequality on hypersurfaces of Euclidean space that are boundaries of convex sets. It involves the Gagliardo semi-norm of the function, as well as its $L^p$ norm weighted by the fractional mean curvature of the hypersurface. As an application, we establish a new upper bound for the maximal time of existence in the smooth fractional mean curvature flow of a convex set. The bound depends on the perimeter of the initial set instead of on its diameter.

math.AP↗

arXiv2019

Universal Hardy-Sobolev inequalities on hypersurfaces of Euclidean space

In this paper we study Hardy-Sobolev inequalities on hypersurfaces of $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$, all of them involving a mean curvature term and having universal constants independent of the hypersurface. We first consider the celebrated Sobolev inequality of Michael-Simon and Allard, in our codimension one framework. Using their ideas, but simplifying their presentations, we give a quick and easy-to-read proof of the inequality. Next, we establish two new Hardy inequalities on hypersurfaces. One of them originates from an application to the regularity theory of stable solutions to semilinear elliptic equations. The other one, which we prove by exploiting a "ground state" substitution, improves the Hardy inequality of Carron. With this same method, we also obtain an improved Hardy or Hardy-Poincar\'e inequality.

math.AP↗

arXiv2019

The optimal exponent in the embedding into the Lebesgue spaces for functions with gradient in the Morrey space

We study the following natural question that, apparently, has not been well addressed in the literature: Given functions $u$ with support in the unit ball $B_1\subset\mathbb{R}^n$ and with gradient in the Morrey space $M^{p,\lambda}(B_1)$, where $1 \lambda p/(\lambda-p)$. The function is basically a negative power of the distance to a set of Hausdorff dimension $n-\lambda$. When $\lambda\notin\mathbb{Z}$, this set is a fractal. We also make a detailed study of the radially symmetric case, a situation in which the exponent $q$ can go up to $np/(\lambda-p)$.

math.AP↗