A discrete-time overdetermined problem for the heat equation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Cavallina, Lorenzo, Pinamonti, Andrea
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Cavallina, Lorenzo
Pinamonti, Andrea
author_facet Cavallina, Lorenzo
Pinamonti, Andrea
contents In this paper, we consider a parabolic counterpart of Serrin's overdetermined problem, in which the overdetermined condition (constant flux condition) is imposed only on a discrete infinite set of time values. We show that, under suitable regularity assumptions on the domain, such a discrete-time overdetermined problem admits a solution if and only if the domain is a ball. Remarkably, depending on the temporal scale, the same overdetermined condition captures either geometric or spectral information, yet both mechanisms lead to the same rigidity conclusion. We study both the case in which the constant flux condition is imposed on the boundary and the case in which the constant flux condition is imposed on an interior surface. We remark that the methods employed in our analysis do not depend on the location of the overdetermined surface but only on whether the sequence of time instants accumulates away from zero. Finally, we will show how this problem generalizes to complete Riemannian manifolds.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_20430
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A discrete-time overdetermined problem for the heat equation
Cavallina, Lorenzo
Pinamonti, Andrea
Analysis of PDEs
35N25, 35K05, 35J15, 35Q93
In this paper, we consider a parabolic counterpart of Serrin's overdetermined problem, in which the overdetermined condition (constant flux condition) is imposed only on a discrete infinite set of time values. We show that, under suitable regularity assumptions on the domain, such a discrete-time overdetermined problem admits a solution if and only if the domain is a ball. Remarkably, depending on the temporal scale, the same overdetermined condition captures either geometric or spectral information, yet both mechanisms lead to the same rigidity conclusion. We study both the case in which the constant flux condition is imposed on the boundary and the case in which the constant flux condition is imposed on an interior surface. We remark that the methods employed in our analysis do not depend on the location of the overdetermined surface but only on whether the sequence of time instants accumulates away from zero. Finally, we will show how this problem generalizes to complete Riemannian manifolds.
title A discrete-time overdetermined problem for the heat equation
topic Analysis of PDEs
35N25, 35K05, 35J15, 35Q93
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.20430