Hopf lemma

For $L=a^{ij}{D}_{ij}+b^i{D}_i$ with bounded coefficients and uniform ellipticity near a boundary point $y$ satisfying the interior sphere condition, suppose $u\in C^2(\Omega )\cap C^0(\Omega \cup \{y\})$ has $Lu\ge 0$ and $u(x)<u(y)$ in a tangent open ball. With $\mathbf{n}$ the outward unit normal of that ball, ${\mathrm{liminf}}_{t\downarrow 0}[u(y)-u(y-t\mathbf{n})]/t>0$. Consequently the outward normal derivative is positive whenever it exists. The given boundary continuity alone does not assert that the derivative exists. The minimum version follows by applying this to $-u$; operators with a zeroth-order term require additional sign hypotheses.

Let $v\le 0$ be $C^1$ on a connected domain and $C^2$ away from its zero set, with $\Delta v+v=0$ wherever $v<0$. If negative and zero points coexist, an interior Euclidean ball in $\{v<0\}$ touches its zero set. On that Euclidean ball $\Delta v=-v>0$, so the Hopf boundary point lemma forces a nonzero derivative at an interior maximum, contrary to $Dv=0$. Thus $v$ is identically zero or strictly negative. Mere Lipschitz continuity does not suffice: $-\max \{\sin x_1,0\}$ on $(-1,1{)}^n$ has both negative and zero regions.

A domain satisfies the interior sphere condition at a boundary point if an open ball contained in the domain is tangent to its boundary there. It gives the local barrier geometry for the Hopf boundary point lemma. The condition at a single point suffices for the corresponding local derivative conclusion.