Partial Differential Equations [Paperback]

This book offers an ideal introduction to the theory of partial differential equations. It focuses on elliptic equations and systematically develops the relevant existence schemes, always with a view towards nonlinear problems. It also develops the main methods for obtaining estimates for solutions of elliptic equations: Sobolev space theory, weak and strong solutions, Schauder estimates, and Moser iteration. It also explores connections between elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic equations as well as the connection with Brownian motion and semigroups. This second edition features a new chapter on reaction-diffusion equations and systems.

This book develops the important approaches to the existence and regularity of partial differential equations, in particular of elliptic (and parabolic) type, particularly those aspects and methods that are relevant not only for linear, but also for nonlinear equations.

This textbook is intended for students who wish to obtain an introduction to the theory of partial di?erential equations (PDEs, for short), in particular, those of elliptic type. Thus, it does not o?er a comprehensive overview of the whole ?eld of PDEs, but tries to lead the reader to the most important methods and central results in the case of elliptic PDEs. The guiding qu- tion is how one can ?nd a solution of such a PDE. Such a solution will, of course, depend on given constraints and, in turn, if the constraints are of the appropriate type, be uniquely determined by them. We shall pursue a number of strategies for ?nding a solution of a PDE; they can be informally characterized as follows: (0) Write down an explicit formula for the solution in terms of the given data (constraints). This may seem like the best and most natural approach, but this is possible only in rather particular and special cases. Also, such a formula may be rather complicated, so that it is not very helpful for detecting qualitative properties of a solulc%