Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 November 2011
We first study the Poisson equation Δu = f in Ώω, and , where Ωω = {(r cos θ, r sin θ): 0<r<1, θ ∈(0,ω)} is a sector in ℝ2, ω ∈ (0, 2π), Г0 = {(cos θ, sin θ): θ ∈ (0, ω)} and Г1 = ∂Ωω − Г0,b and λ are in ℝ1. We obtain Schauder-type estimates and Fredholm alternative theory for the problem. We then study the symmetry breaking problem for the Gel'fand equation Δu + λeu = 0 in Ωω and obtain a complete picture about the relationships among three parameters λ, b, and ω in the problem.