Bifurcation for a free boundary problem with surface tension modeling the growth of multi-layer tumors

This paper is devoted to the study of the bifurcation of a free boundary problem modeling the growth of tumors with the effect of surface tension being considered. The existence of infinitely many branches of bifurcation solutions is proved. The method of analysis is based on reducing the problem to an operator equation in certain Hölder space with a nonlinear Fredholm operator of index 0. The desired result then follows from the Crandall-Rabinowitz bifurcation theorem.     

Convergence of a non-stiff boundary integral method for interfacial flows with surface tension

Boundary integral methods to simulate interfacial flows are very sensitive to numerical instabilities. In addition, surface tension introduces nonlinear terms with high order spatial derivatives into the interface dynamics. This makes the spatial discretization even more difficult and, at the same time, imposes a severe time step constraint for stable explicit time integration methods.

A proof of the convergence of a reformulated boundary integral method for two-density fluid interfaces with surface tension is presented. The method is based on a scheme introduced by Hou, Lowengrub and Shelley [ J. Comp. Phys. 114 (1994), pp. 312-338] to remove the high order stability constraint or stiffness. Some numerical filtering is applied carefully at certain places in the discretization to guarantee stability. The key of the proof is to identify the most singular terms of the method and to show, through energy estimates, that these terms balance one another.

The analysis is at a time continuous-space discrete level but a fully discrete case for a simple Hele-Shaw interface is also studied. The time discrete analysis shows that the high order stiffness is removed and also provides an estimate of how the CFL constraint depends on the curvature and regularity of the solution.

The robustness of the method is illustrated with several numerical examples. A numerical simulation of an unstably stratified two-density interfacial flow shows the roll-up of the interface; the computations proceed up to a time where the interface is about to pinch off and trapped bubbles of fluid are formed. The method remains stable even in the full nonlinear regime of motion. Another application of the method shows the process of drop formation in a falling single fluid.

     

Linearization of a free boundary problem in corrosion detection

We consider a boundary identification problem arising in nondestructive testing of materials. The problem is to recover a part ΓI⊂∂Ω of the boundary of a bounded, planar domain Ω from one Cauchy data pair (u,∂u/∂ν) of a harmonic potential u in Ω collected on an accessible boundary subset ΓA⊂∂Ω. We prove Fréchet differentiability of a suitably defined forward map, and discuss local uniqueness and Lipschitz stability results for the linearized problem.     

On a fractional boundary value problem with a perturbation term

In this paper, the authors study a nonlinear fractional boundary value problem of order $\al$ with $2<\al<3$. The associated Green''s function is derived as a series of functions. Criteria for the existence and uniqueness of positive solutions are then established based on it.     

The Hele-Shaw problem with surface tension in a half-plane

In this paper, we consider the Hele-Shaw problem in a 2-dimensional fluid domain Ω(t) which is constrained to a half-plane. The boundary of Ω(t) consist of two components: Γ₀(t) which lies on the boundary of the half-plane, and Γ(t) which lies inside the half-plane. On Γ(t) we impose the classical boundary conditions with surface tension, and on Γ₀(t) we prescribe the normal derivative of the fluid pressure. At the point where Γ₀(t) and Γ(t) meet, there is an abrupt change in the boundary condition giving rise to a singularity in the fluid pressure. We prove that the problem has a unique solution with smooth free boundary Γ(t) for some small time interval.     

On the breakdown of Hele-Shaw solutions with nonzero surface tension

Summary In this note, we consider the nonzero surface tension Hele—Shaw problem in the presence of a sink when the initial fluid domain is bounded. We show that if the geometric center of the initial domain is not at the sink, either the solution will break down before all the fluid is sucked out or the fluid domain will eventually become unbounded with a zero area. We do not determine the mechanism of the breakdown. It could be caused by topological changes of the fluid domain, by the interface reaching the sink, or perhaps by some other means.     

Bifurcation phenomena in a free boundary problem for a circulating flow with surface tension

A free boundary problem for a flow around a circle is analyzed. We find and mathematically prove that bifurcations from the trivial flow actually take place. Golubitsky-Schaeffer theory, together with a formula concerning variations of domains, enables us to clarify the behaviors of the branches of nontrivial solutions.     

Quasi-stationary Stefan problem as limit case of Mullins-Sekerka problem

The existence of a local classical solution to the Mullins-Sekerka problem and the convergence to the two-phase quasi-stationary Stefan problem are proved when surface tension approaches zero. This convergence gives a proof of the existence of a local classical solution of quasi-stationary Stefan problem. The methods work in all dimensions.     

The Hele-Shaw problem with surface tension in a half-plane: A model problem

Consider the Hele-Shaw problem with surface tension in the half-plane {y₁>0} when at time t=0 the domain Ω(t) lies partly on the line y₁=0, and partly in {y₁>0}. In order to establish existence of a solution to this free boundary problem we need to study the (linear) model problem when the Ω(t) is a fixed angular domain. In this paper we consider this model problem and establish existence of a solution satisfying sharp weighted Hölder estimates. These estimates will be used in subsequent work to solve the full Hele-Shaw problem.     

Limit behaviour of solutions to boundary value problem with equivalued surface

In this paper, we discuss the limit behaviour of solutions to boundary value problem with equivalued surface with m inner holes and give a different proof from that of Li Ta-tsien et al. (1998).     

On a two-phase Stefan problem with convective boundary condition including a density jump at the free boundary

We consider a two-phase Stefan problem for a semi-infinite body with a convective boundary condition including a density jump at the free boundary with a time-dependent heat transfer coefficient of the type $h/\sqrt{t}$, whose solution was given in D. A. Tarzia, PAMM. Proc. Appl. Math. Mech. 7, 1040307–1040308 (2007). We demonstrate that the solution to this problem converges to the solution to the analogous one with a temperature boundary condition when the heat transfer coefficient $h\to +\infty$. Moreover, we analyze the dependence of the free boundary respecting to the jump density.     

Solving a free boundary problem with nonconstant coefficients

The present article is concerned with the numerical solution of a free boundary problem for an elliptic state equation with nonconstant coefficients. We maximize the Dirichlet energy functional over all domains of fixed volume. The domain under consideration is represented by a level set function, which is driven by the objective's shape gradient. The state is computed by the finite element method where the underlying triangulation is constructed by means of a marching cubes algorithm. We show that the combination of these tools lead to an efficient solver for general shape optimization problems.     

Bifurcation for a free boundary problem modeling the growth of a tumor with a necrotic core

We consider a free boundary problem for a system of partial differential equations, which arises in a model of tumor growth with a necrotic core. For any positive numbers ρ<R, there exists a radially symmetric stationary solution with tumor boundary r=R and necrotic core boundary r=ρ. The system depends on a positive parameter μ, which describes the tumor aggressiveness. There also exists a sequence of values μ₂<μ₃<? for which branches of symmetry-breaking stationary solutions bifurcate from the radially symmetric solution branch.     

The Limit of the Stefan Problem with Surface Tension and Kinetic Undercooling on the Free Boundary

In this paper we consider the Stefan problem with surface tension and kinetic undercooling effects, that is with the temperature u satisfying the condition u = -σK - εV_n on the interface Γ_t, σ, ε = const. ≥ 0 where K and V_n are the mean curvature and the normal velocity of Γ_t, respectively. In any of the following situations: (1) σ > 0 fixed, ε > 0, (2) σ = ε → 0; (3) σ → 0, ε = 0, we shall prove the convergence of the corresponding local (in time) classical solution of the Stefan problem.     

A critical case of stability in a free boundary problem

We study the stability of the planar travelling wave solution to a free boundary problem for the heat equation in the whole . We turn the problem into a fully nonlinear parabolic system and establish a stability result which is the proper generalization of the one-dimensional case. The curvature terms contribute a gradient squared corresponding to critical growth. The latter is eliminated by means of the Hopf-Cole transformation. Received August 18, 2000, accepted September 27, 2000.     

Vanishing viscosity limits for the free boundary problem of compressible viscoelastic fluids with surface tension

We consider the free boundary problem of compressible isentropic neo-Hookean viscoelastic fluid equations with surface tension. Under the physical kinetic and dynamic conditions proposed on the free boundary, we investigate the regularity of classical solutions to viscoelastic fluid equations in Sobolev spaces which are uniform in viscosity and justify the corresponding vanishing viscosity limits. The key ingredient of our proof is that the deformation gradient tensor in Lagrangian coordinates c...     

On a resolvent estimate of the Stokes system in a half space arising from a free boundary problem for the Navier–Stokes equations

In this paper we consider a resolvent problem of the Stokes operator with some boundary condition in the half space, which is obtained as a model problem arising in evolution free boundary problems for viscous, incompressible fluid flow. We show standard resolvent estimates in the L_q framework (1 < q < ∞), applying some kernel estimates to concrete solution formulas. The Volevich trick in [21] plays a fundamental role in estimating solutions (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Homotopy perturbation method for a limit case Stefan problem governed by fractional diffusion equation

The work presents a mathematical model describing the time fractional anomalous-diffusion process of a generalized Stefan problem which is a limit case of a shoreline problem. In this model, the governing equations include a fractional time derivative of order 0 < α ? 1 and variable latent heat. The approximate solution of the problem is obtained by homotopy perturbation method. The results thus obtained are compared graphically with the exact solutions. A brief sensitivity study is also performed.     

Stability of the viscoelastic Rayleigh–Taylor problem with internal surface tension

We investigate the stability of the Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) problem for stratified viscoelastic fluids with internal surface tension. More precisely, under the stability condition $\mathrm{Dis}(\vartheta ,\kappa )<1$, we prove the existence of unique strong solution with exponential decay in time for the (stratified) viscoelastic RT (VRT) problem with proper initial data in Lagrangian coordinates. This shows that a sufficiently large elasticity coefficient or a sufficiently large surface tension coefficient has a stabilizing effect so that it can inhibit the development of (stratified) RT instability.     

Solvability of a supercritical free surface flow problem under gravity-capillarity

In this paper, we consider a problem of a supercritical free surface flow over an obstacle lying on the bottom of a channel in 2D. The flow is irrotational, stationary and the fluid is ideal and incompressible. We take into account both the gravity and the effects of the superficial tension. The problem is nonlinear, it is formulated by the Laplace operator and the dynamic condition defined on the free surface of the fluid domain (Bernoulli equation). Using the perturbation stream function, we linearize the problem and we give a priori properties of the solution. These a priori properties allow us to construct a space where we can use the Lax–Milgram’s theorem to prove the existence and the uniqueness of the solution of the problem.