Some simple boundary value problems with corner singularities and boundary layers *

Some boundary value problems for a second-order elliptic partial differential equation in a polygonal domain are considered. The highest order terms in the equation are multiplied by a small parameter, leading to a singularly perturbed problem. The singular perturbation causes boundary layers and interior layers in the solution, and the corners of the polygon cause corner singularities in the solution. The paper considers pointwise bounds for derivatives of the solution that show the influence of these layers and corner singularities. Several recent results on this problem are surveyed, and some open problems are stated and discussed.