Univalent σ-Harmonic Mappings

Abstract

We study mappings from ℝ2 into ℝ2 whose components are weak solutions to the elliptic equation in divergence form, div (σ∇u)= 0, which we call σ-harmonic mappings. We prove sufficient conditions for the univalence, i.e., injectivity, of such mappings. Moreover we prove local bounds in BMO on the logarithm of the Jacobian determinant of such univalent mappings, thus obtaining the a.e. nonvanishing of their Jacobian. In particular, our results apply to σ-harmonic mapping associated with any periodic structure and therefore they play an important role in homogenization.