6533b874fe1ef96bd12d6225

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Comparison results for Hessian equations via symmetrization

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where the λ’s are the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix D2u of u and Sk is the kth elementary symmetric function. For example, for k = 1, S1(Du) = 1u, while, for k = n, Sn(D 2u) = detD2u. Equations involving these operators, and some more general equations of the form F(λ1, . . . , λn) = f in , (1.2) have been widely studied by many authors, who restrict their considerations to convenient cones of solutions with respect to which the operator in (1.2) is elliptic. Following [25] we define the cone 0k of ellipticity for (1.1) to be the connected component containing the positive cone 0 = {λ ∈ R : λi > 0 ∀i = 1, . . . , n} of the set where Sk is positive. Thus 0k is an open, convex, symmetric cone with vertex at the origin and ∂Sk ∂λi (λ) > 0 on 0k, ∀i = 1, . . . , n.