Abstract
Let O ? Rn be a bounded domain and let f : O × RN × RN×n ? R. Consider the functional I(u) := ?Of(x, u, Du) dx, over the class of Sobolev functions W1,q(O;RN)(1 = q = 8) for which the integral on the right is well defined. In this paper we establish sufficient conditions on a given function u0 and f to ensure that u0 provides an Lr local minimizer for I where 1 = r = 8. The case r = 8 is somewhat known and there is a considerable literature on the subject treating the case min(n, N) = 1, mostly based on the field theory of the calculus of variations. The main contribution here is to present a set of sufficient conditions for the case 1 = r = 8. Our proof is based on an indirect approach and is largely motivated by an argument of Hestenes relying on the concept of 'directional convergence'.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 155-184 |
Number of pages | 30 |
Journal | Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section A: Mathematics |
Volume | 131 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2001 |