On the logarithmic epiperimetric inequality for the obstacle problem

TL;DR

This paper presents three different proofs of the log-epiperimetric inequality at singular points for the obstacle problem, providing explicit and constructive methods, and introduces a general theorem applicable to other contexts.

Contribution

It offers new proofs of the log-epiperimetric inequality and a general theorem for constructing competitors via differential inequalities, advancing understanding of the obstacle problem.

Findings

Three distinct proofs of the log-epiperimetric inequality

Comparison of different competitor constructions

A general theorem for constructing competitors in various contexts

Abstract

We give three different proofs of the log-epiperimetric inequality at singular points for the obstacle problem. In the first, direct proof, we write the competitor explicitly; the second proof is also constructive, but this time the competitor is given through the solution of an evolution problem on the sphere. We compare the competitors obtained in the different proofs and their relation to other similar results that appeared recently. Finally, in the appendix, we give a general theorem, which can be applied also in other contexts and in which the construction of the competitor is reduced to finding a flow satisfying two differential inequalities.