EXTENDABLE TEMPERATURES

Abstract

Let $E$ and $D$ be open subsets of $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ such that $\overline{D}$ is a compact subset of $E$, and let $v$ be a supertemperature on $E$. We call a temperature $u$ on $D$extendable by$v$ if there is a supertemperature $w$ on $E$ such that $w=u$ on $D$ and $w=v$ on $E\backslash \overline{D}$. Such a temperature need not be a thermic minorant of $v$ on $D$. We show that either there is a unique temperature extendable by $v$, or there are infinitely many. Examples of temperatures extendable by $v$ include the greatest thermic minorant $GM_{v}^{D}$ of $v$ on $D$, and the Perron–Wiener–Brelot solution of the Dirichlet problem $S\!_{v}^{D}$ on $D$ with boundary values the restriction of $v$ to $\unicode[STIX]{x2202}D$. In the case where these two examples are distinct, we give a formula for producing infinitely many more. Clearly $GM_{v}^{D}$ is the greatest extendable thermic minorant, but we also prove that there is a least one, which is not necessarily equal to $S\!_{v}^{D}$.