An analogue of Berry's conjecture for the phase in fractal obstacle scattering

In this paper, the authors consider the high-frequency asymptoticsof the phase s() of acoustic waves scattered by an obstacleRⁿ with fractal boundary. Under certain conditions, it is provedthat if is –Minkowski measurable with –Minkowskimeasure µ then there exists a positive constant C_n, dependingonlyon n and such that where     

On hearing the shape of a bounded domain with Robin boundary conditions

The asymptotic expansions of the trace of the heat kernel (t)= [sum ]_j=1 exp(-t_j) for small positive t, where {_j} _j=1 arethe eigenvalues of the negative Laplacian -_n = -[sum ]ⁿ_k=1 (/x^k)²in Rⁿ (n = 2 or 3), are studied for a general multiply connectedbounded domain which is surrounded by simply connected boundeddomains _i with smooth boundaries _i (i = 1,...,m), where smoothfunctions Y_i (i = 1,...,m) are assuming the Robin boundary conditions(n_i + Y_i) = 0 on _i. Here /n_i denote differentiations along theinward-pointing normals to _i (i = 1,...,m). Some applicationsof an ideal gas enclosed in the multiply connected bounded containerwith Neumann or Robin boundary conditions are given.     

Elliptic Problems Involving Phase Boundaries Satisfying a Curvature Condition

Two theorems related to equilibrium free-boundary problems arepresented. One arises as a time-independent solution to thephase-field equations. The other is the relevant time-independentproblem for the Stefan model, modified for the surface tensioneffect. It also serves as a preliminary result for the phase-fieldformulation. Under appropriate conditions, we prove that, givenan appropriate positive constant and a smooth function u: R;,where is an annular domain in R², there exists a curve suchthat u(x)=—K(x) for all x , where K is the curvature.Using this result, we prove the existence of solutions to O=²+ ?(—³) + 2u that have a transition layer behaviour (from=—1 to =+1) for small and make the transition on thecurve . This proves there exist solutions to the phase fieldmodel that satisfy a Gibbs-Thompson relation.     

A bifurcation problem governed by the boundary condition II

In this work we consider the problem u = a(x)u^p in on , where is a smooth bounded domain, isthe outward unit normal to , is regarded as a parameter and0 < p < 1. We consider both cases where a(x) > 0 in or a(x) is allowed to vanish in a whole subdomain ₀ of . Ourmain results include existence of non-negative non-trivial solutionsin the range 0 < < ₁, where ₁ is characterized by meansof an eigenvalue problem, uniqueness and bifurcation from infinityof such solutions for small , and the appearance of dead coresfor large enough .     

On a Functional Differential Equation

This paper considers some analytical and numerical aspects ofthe problem defined by an equation or systems of equations ofthe type (d/dt)y(t) = ay(t)+by(t), with a given initial conditiony(0) = 1. Series, integral representations and asymptotic expansions fory are obtained and discussed for various ranges of the parametersa, b and (> 0), and for all positive values of the argumentt. A perturbation solution is constructed for |1–| <<1, and confirmed by direct computation. For > 1 the solutionis not unique, and an analysis is included of the eigensolutionsfor which y(0) = 0. Two numerical methods are analysed and illustrated. The first,using finite differences, is applicable for < 1, and twotechniques are demonstrated for accelerating the convergenceof the finite-difference solution towards the true solution.The second, an adaptation of the Lanczos method, is applicablefor any > 0, though an error analysis is available onlyfor < 1. Numerical evidence suggests that for > 1 themethod still gives good approximations to some solution of theproblem.     

Asymptotic Solution of Hyperbolic Systems with Constant Coefficients

An integral representation of the exact solution of the initialvalue problem for the hyperbolic equation of the form is derived. Here A^o, A^v, B, and Care constant m x m matrices, u(t, X; ) is an m-component columnvector, and is a positive parameter. Various conditions areimposed on the coefficient matrices that permit the applicationof the method of stationary phase in several variables to theintegral representation of the exact solution. The leading termof the asymptotic expansion as of the exact solution is obtainedfor several types of initial data and source functions whichdepend on the parameter .     

Approximation of Ground State Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions of Dirichlet Laplacians

Let be a bounded connected open set in R^N, N 2, and let –0be the Dirichlet Laplacian defined in L²(). Let > 0 be thesmallest eigenvalue of –, and let > 0 be its correspondingeigenfunction, normalized by ||||₂ = 1. For sufficiently small>0 we let R() be a connected open subset of satisfying Let – 0 be the Dirichlet Laplacian on R(), and let >0and >0 be its ground state eigenvalue and ground state eigenfunction,respectively, normalized by ||||₂=1. For functions f definedon , we let Sf denote the restriction of f to R(). For functionsg defined on R(), we let Tg be the extension of g to satisfying 1991 Mathematics SubjectClassification 47F05.     

Injection of Ideal Fluid from a Slot into a Stream: Two Free Boundaries

A fluid is injected from a slot into a stream of another fluid.In a simple model this leads to a two-phase two-free-boundaryproblem with the jump relation |u^–|² – |u⁺|² = on the free boundary {u=0}, and |u| = ¹ on the free boundary{u > – Q}, where u is the stream function and Q isthe flux of the injected fluid. Using the variational theoryof Alt, Caffarelli & Friedman, we prove existence of (,₁, u) such that there is a smooth fit for both free boundaries.     

A priori estimates of the solution for the Dirichlet problem

We study the Dirichlet problem defined by u = f in and u =g in when is the half-space or the unitary rectangle, obtainingan a priori estimate of the solution. Furthermore, in both casesa concrete numerical estimation is arrived at. First we getthe a priori estimate in the case of the half-space. The problemis resolved for the rectangle by initially translating it intothe half-space and using the results we had obtained for it,so that the problem can then be reduced back to the rectangle.Because of this we first establish an extension of the Sobolevspace of second order in the rectangle to the one defined inthe half-space.     

The large deformation of nonlinearly elastic rings in a two-dimensional compressible flow

The nonlinear nonlocal system of the equilibrium equations ofan elastic ring under the action of an external two-dimensionaluniformly subsonic potential barotropic steady-state gas flowis considered. The configurations of the elastic ring are identifiedby a pair of functions (, ). The simple curve represents theshape of the ring and the real-valued function identifies theorientation of the material sections of the ring. The pressurefield on the ring depends nonlocally on , and on two parametersU and P which represent the pressure and the velocity at infinity.The system is shown to be equivalent to a fixed-point problem,which is then treated with continuation methods. It is shownthat the solution branch ensuing from certain equilibrium states((₀, ₀), 0, P₀) in the solution-parameter space of ((₀, ₀),0, P₀) either approaches the boundary of the admissible ((,), U,p)'s in a well-defined sense, or is unbounded, or is homotopicallynontrivial in the sense that there exists a continuous map from the branch to a two-dimensional sphere which is not homotopicin the sphere to a constant, while restricted to the branchminus ((₀, ₀), 0, P₀) is homotopic to a constant in the sphere.Furthermore, by fixing the pressure parameter at P₀ and by consideringthe one-parameter problem in ((, ), U), the following holds.Every hyperplane in the solution-parameter space of the ((,), U)'s which contains the equilibrium state ((₀, ₀), 0) anddoes not include a welldetermined one-dimensional subspace intersectsthe solution branch above at a point different from ((₀, ₀),0).     

A Phase-Change Model with a Zone of Coexistence of Phases

A mathematical model for change of phase is presented, accountingfor the presence of regions in which liquid and solid coexist.The basic variables are temperature and solid fraction v. Westart from a relationship of the type =(v), supposed valid inthermodynamical equilibrium. Then for dynamical processes weintroduce a perturbation causing v to be less than its equilibriumvalue in any solidification process. This solid fraction deficiencyis governed by an ordinary differential equation containing_t, in the forcing term. The heat-balance equation is in turncoupled to the ordinary differential equation through the termv_t, ( is latent heat). Some existence and uniqueness resultsare proved and some monotonicity properties are described forpure melting or pure solidification processes.     

Numerical Evaluation of Fourier Integrals

A method is developed for evaluating Fourier integrals of theform A() = ¹_–1f(x) e^fax dx, 0. The method consists of expanding the function f in a seriesof Chebyshev polynomials and expressing the integral A() asa series of the Bessel functionsJ_r+(), r= 0, 1, 2,.... A partialsum A_N() of the series provides an approximant to A(). The principalfeature of the method is that one set of N+1 evaluations off(x) suffices for the calculation of A_N() for all , and alsothe truncation error A()–A_N() is essentially independentof . Numerical tests show that the method is accurate, economicaland reliable. An application to the inversion of Fourier andLaplace transforms is briefly described.     

The Decay of Eddy-currents in Thin Sheets and Related Water-wave Problems

The decay of the eddy-currents that are induced in a thin, uniform,imperfectly-conducting sheet by switching off the source ofan external magnetic field is investigated. For the two-dimensionalproblem of an infinite strip the (non-dimensional) decay constants_n and eddy-current distributions i_n(x) are the eigenvalues andeigenfunctions of the integral equation with the constraint. For the circular disc the corresponding equation is where and K and E are complete elliptic integrals. For both problemsthe initial eddy-currents have inverse-square-root singularitiesat the edges but during their decay the eddy currents are finiteat the edges and the normal magnetic fields have logarithmicsingularities there. Numerical results are given for variousinitial-value problems. The eddy current problems are closely related to water-waveproblems in which there is a strip-shaped or circular aperturein a horizontal rigid dock. If _n and _n are the decay constantsand magnetic scalar potentials for the strip and _n and _n theangular frequencies and velocity potentials for the normal modesin the strip-shaped aperture, then _n =_n² and _n and _n are thereal and imaginary parts respectively of a holomorphic function.The velocities in the normal modes are deduced from the solutionof the eddy-current problem and are found to agree with resultsgiven in Miles (1972). For circular geometries the eigenvaluesand eigenfunctions of the axisymmetric eddy-current problemare the same as those of the water-wave problem that has angularvariation eⁱ; where (, , z) are cylindrical polar co-ordinateslocated at the centre of the basin.     

Packing, Tiling, Orthogonality and Completeness

Let R^d be an open set of measure 1. An open set DR^d is calleda ‘tight orthogonal packing region’ for if D–Ddoes not intersect the zeros of the Fourier transform of theindicator function of , and D has measure 1. Suppose that isa discrete subset of R^d. The main contribution of this paperis a new way of proving the following result: D tiles R^d whentranslated at the locations if and only if the set of exponentialsE = {exp 2i, x: } is an orthonormal basis for L²(). (This resulthas been proved by different methods by Lagarias, Reeds andWang [9] and, in the case of being the cube, by Iosevich andPedersen [3]. When is the unit cube in R^d, it is a tight orthogonalpacking region of itself.) In our approach, orthogonality ofE is viewed as a statement about ‘packing’ R^d withtranslates of a certain non-negative function and, additionally,we have completeness of E in L²() if and only if the above-mentionedpacking is in fact a tiling. We then formulate the tiling conditionin Fourier analytic language, and use this to prove our result.2000 Mathematics Subject Classification 52C22, 42B99, 11K70.     

Finite Element Approximation of a Rigid Punch Indenting a Membrane

Optimal order H¹ and L error bounds are obtained for a continuouspiecewise linear finite element approximation of an obstacleproblem, where the obstacle's height as well as the contactzone, _c, are a priori unknown. The problem models the indentationof a membrane by a rigid punch. For R², given ,g R⁺ and an obstacle defined over E we consider the minimization of |v|²_1,+gµover (v, µ) H¹₀() x R subject to v+µ on E. In additionwe show under certain nondegeneracy conditions that dist (_c,^h_c)Ch ln 1/h, where ^h_c is the finite element approximation to_c. Finally we show that the resulting algebraic problem canbe solved using a projected SOR algorithm.     

A Criticality Criterion for Thermal Explosions in Well-stirred Systems with Reactant Consumption

The autonomous differential equations for the temperature andreactant consumption in a first-order well-stirred exothermicreaction are considered. An examination of the phase-plane solutionsallows the qualitative behaviour of the Semenov number as afunction of maximum temperature rise ^* to be established. Inthe limit of infinite adiabatic temperature rise (B) and zeroactivation energy parameter ( = 0), the relationship between and stationary temperature _s is known to be e_¹ = _s. Criticalityarises at the maximum of (_s) and leads to the critical Semenovvalues (_s)_cr = 1, _cr = e^–1. For sufficiently large B,it is shown that the (^*) curve has a bifurcation at ^* = 1, withthe upper branch monotonically increasing and the lower branchmonotonically decreasing for ^* > 1. In the limit B thesebecome respectively the straight line = e^–1, _s 1 andthe unstable branch of = _se^–1, _s 1 and the unstablebranch of = _s e^–. Criticality for finite B is definedas occurring at the bifurcation, namely ^*_cr = 1, with _cr(B)the value of at this point. Values of these Semenoy numbersare obtainable from the numerical calculations of Boddingtonet al. [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. (1983), 390, 13–30]. The newcriterion is applied to an approximate phase-plane solution.The corresponding critical parameter is found to be _cr = e^–1[1+B^–(2–e^–1)+O(B^–1)].     

Logarithmic Convexity for Supremum Norms of Harmonic Functions

We prove the following convexity property for supremum normsof harmonic functions. Let be a domain in Rⁿ, ₀ and E a subdomainand a compact sebset of ,respectively. Then there exists a constant = (E, ₀, ) (0, 1) such that for all harmonic functions u on, the inequality is valid.The case of concentric balls E plays a key role in the proof.For positive harmonic funcitons ono osuch balls, we determinethe sharp constant in the inequlity.     

Existence of Solutions of a Two-Point Free-Boundary Problem Arising in the Theory of Porous Medium Combustion

The existence of solutions of a two-point free-boundary problemarising from the theory of travelling combustion waves in aporous medium is examined. The problem comprises a third-ordernonlinear ordinary differential equation posed on an unknowninterval of finite length; four boundary conditions are given,two at either end of the interval. The equations possess a trivialsolution for all values of the bifurcation parameter . A shootingtechnique is employed to prove the existence of a nontrivialsolution for 0 < < _c and nonexistence theorems are provedfor (0, _c).     

A New Notion of Transitivity for Groups and Sets of Permutations

Let = {1, 2, ..., n} where n 2. The shape of an ordered setpartition P = (P₁, ..., P_k) of is the integer partition =(₁, ..., _k) defined by _i = |P_i|. Let G be a group of permutationsacting on . For a fixed partition of n, we say that G is -transitiveif G has only one orbit when acting on partitions P of shape. A corresponding definition can also be given when G is justa set. For example, if = (n – t, 1, ..., 1), then a -transitivegroup is the same as a t-transitive permutation group, and if = (n – t, t), then we recover the t-homogeneous permutationgroups. We use the character theory of the symmetric group S_n to establishsome structural results regarding -transitive groups and sets.In particular, we are able to generalize a celebrated resultof Livingstone and Wagner [Math. Z. 90 (1965) 393–403]about t-homogeneous groups. We survey the relevant examplescoming from groups. While it is known that a finite group ofpermutations can be at most 5-transitive unless it containsthe alternating group, we show that it is possible to constructa nontrivial t-transitive set of permutations for each positiveinteger t. We also show how these ideas lead to a combinatorialbasis for the Bose–Mesner algebra of the association schemeof the symmetric group and a design system attached to thisassociation scheme.     

The Critical Conditions in a Reactive Slab with Slowly Varying Surface Temperature

Liouville's non-linear partial differential equation is consideredfor an infinite rectangular strip domain with a slowly varyingboundary condition. The equation describes a layer of chemicallyreactive material under conditions where the resistance to surfaceheat transfer is negligible and the ambient temperature variesslowly along the surface. Symmetrical heating by a zero orderexothermic reaction is assumed. If is a small dimensionlesstemperature difference between regions where the surface temperatureis effectively constant, a perturbation series solution in may be determined provided the Frank-Kamenetskii parameter satisfies _c(). It is shown that a plausible value for thecritical parameter is _c() = _c(0) e^–e,where _c(0) = 0.878.The corresponding critical temperature distribution is shownto have a dependence on different from that for subcriticalcases.