Eigenvalues of Self-Similar Solutions of the Dafermos Regularization of a System of Conservation Laws via Geometric Singular Perturbation Theory

The Dafermos regularization of a system of n conservation laws in one space dimension admits smooth self-similar solutions of the form u=u(X/T). In particular, there are such solutions near a Riemann solution consisting of n possibly large Lax shocks. In Lin and Schecter (2004, SIAM. J. Math. Anal. 35, 884–921), eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the linearized Dafermos operator at such a solution were studied using asymptotic expansions. Here we show that the asymptotic expansions correspond to true eigenvalue–eigenfunction pairs. The proofs use geometric singular perturbation theory, in particular an extension of the Exchange Lemma.     

Deduction of Saint-Venant"s Principle for the Asymptotic Residue of Elastic Rods

Let u(ε) be a rescaled 3-dimensional displacement field solution of the linear elastic model for a free prismatic rod Ω^ε having cross section with diameter of order ε, and let u ⁽⁰⁾ –Bernoulli–Navier displacement – and u ⁽²⁾ be the two first terms derived from the asymptotic method. We analyze the residue r(ε) = u(ε) − (u ⁽⁰⁾ + ε² u ⁽²⁾) and if the cross section is star-shaped, we prove such residue presents a Saint-Venant"s phenomenon near the ends of the rod. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The method of composite expansions applied to boundary layer problems in symmetric bending of the spherical shells

In this paper,the method of composite expansions which was proposed by W. Z. Chien (1948)[5]is extended to investigate two-parameter boundary layer problems.For the problems of symmetric deformations of the spherical shells under the action of uniformly distribution load q, its nonlinear equilibrium equations can be written as follows: where ε and δ are undetermined parameters.If δ=1 and ε is a small parameter, the above-mentioned problem is called first boundary layer problem; if ε is a small parameter, and δ is a small parameter, too, the above-mentioned problem is called second boundary layer problem.For the above-mentioned problems, however, we assume that the constants ε, δ and p satisfy the following equation: εp=1-ε In defining this condition by using the extended method of composite expansions, we find the asymptotic solution of the above-mentioned problems with the clamped boundary conditions.     

The modulational theory of nonlinear gravity-wave in fluid with varying depth and nonuniform current

By means of WKB expansions, new fourth order evolution equations are derived for two-dimensional Stokes waves over the bottom with arbitrary depth. The effects of slowly varying depthh=h(ε ²x) and currentU=U(ε ²x,ε²t,ε⁴z) on the evolution of a packet of Stokes waves are considered as well. In addition, numerical simulation is performed for the evolution of single envelope by finite-difference method. Project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and Centre of Advanced Academic Research of Zhongshan University.     

Asymptotic approximation for the solution of a boundary-value problem with varying type of boundary conditions in a thick two-level junction

We consider a mixed boundary-value problem for a Poisson equation in a plane two-level junction Ω_ε that is the union of a domain Ω₀ and a large number 3N of thin rods with thickness of order . The thin rods are divided into two levels depending on their length. In addition, the thin rods from each level are ε-periodically alternated. The homogeneous Dirichlet conditions and inhomogeneous Neumann conditions are given on the sides of the thin rods from the first level and the second level, respectively. Using the method of matched asymptotic expansions and special junction-layer solutions, we construct an asymptotic approximation for the solution and prove the corresponding estimates in the Sobolev space H ¹(Ω_ε) as ε → 0 (N → +∞). Published in Neliniini Kolyvannya, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 336–355, July–September, 2006.     

Spinodal Decomposition for the¶Cahn-Hilliard Equation in Higher Dimensions:¶Nonlinear Dynamics

This paper addresses the phenomenon of spinodal decomposition for the Cahn-Hilliard equation

Convergence Rate for Compressible Euler Equations with Damping and Vacuum

 We study the asymptotic behavior of L ^∞ weak-entropy solutions to the compressible Euler equations with damping and vacuum. Previous works on this topic are mainly concerned with the case away from the vacuum and small initial data. In the present paper, we prove that the entropy-weak solution strongly converges to the similarity solution of the porous media equations in L ^p (R) (2≤p<∞) with decay rates. The initial data can contain vacuum and can be arbitrary large. A new approach is introduced to control the singularity near vacuum for the desired estimates. (Accepted August 31, 2002) Published online January 9, 2003 Communicated by C. M. Dafermos     

Singular fields of a mode III interface crack in a power-law hardening bimaterial

A high order of asymptotic solution of the singular fields near the tip of a mode III interface crack for pure power-law hardening bimaterials is obtained by using the hodograph transformation. It is found that the zero order of the asymptotic solution corresponds to the assumption of a rigid substrate at the interface, and the first order of it is deduced in order to satisfy completely two continuity conditions of the stress and displacement across the interface in the asymptotic sense. The singularities of stress and strain of the zeroth order asymptotic solutions are −1/(n ₁+1) and −n/(n ₁+1) respectively. (n=n ₁,n ₂ is the hardening exponent of the bimaterials.) The applicability conditions of the asymptotic solutions are determined for both zeroth and first orders. It is proved that the Guo-Keer solution^[10] is limited in some conditions. The angular functions of the singular fields for this interface crack problem are first expressed by closed form. The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China     

On solitary waves. Part 2 A unified perturbation theory for higher-order waves

A unified perturbation theory is developed here for calculating solitary waves of all heights by series expansion of base flow variables in powers of a small base parameter to eighteenth order for the one-parameter family of solutions in exact form, with all the coefficients determined in rational numbers. Comparative studies are pursued to investigate the effects due to changes of base parameters on (i) the accuracy of the theoretically predicted wave properties and (ii) the rate of convergence of perturbation expansion. Two important results are found by comparisons between the theoretical predictions based on a set of parameters separately adopted for expansion in turn. First, the accuracy and the convergence of the perturbation expansions, appraised versus the exact solution provided by an earlier paper [1] as the standard reference, are found to depend, quite sensitively, on changes in base parameter. The resulting variations in the solution are physically displayed in various wave properties with differences found dependent on which property (e.g. the wave amplitude, speed, its profile, excess mass, momentum, and energy), on what range in value of the base, and on the rank of the order n in the expansion being addressed. Secondly, regarding convergence, the present perturbation series is found definitely asymptotic in nature, with the relative error δ(n) (the relative mean-square difference between successive orders n of wave elevations) reaching a minimum, δ _m , at a specific order, n=n _m , both depending on the base adopted, e.g. n _{m , α} =11-12 based on parameter α (wave amplitude), n _{m , β} =15 on β (amplitude-speed square ratio), and n _{m , ∈} =17 on ∈ ( wave number squared). The asymptotic range is brought to completion by the highest order of n=18 reached in this work. The project partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19925414,10474045)     

Computer algebra-perturbation solution to a nonlinear wave equation

In this paper, the higher-order asymptotic solution to the Cauchy problem of a nonlinear wave equation is found by using a computer algebra-perturbation method. The secular terms in the solution from straightforward expansions are eliminated with the straining of characteristic, coordinates and the use of the renormalization technique, and the four-term uniformly valid solution is obtained with the symbolic computation by using a computer algebra system. The comparison of the derived asymptotic solution and the numerical solution shows that they coincide with each other for smaller ε and agree quite well for larger ε (e. g., ε=0.25) Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Shanghai Municiple Natural Science Foundation     

Thin-walled Beams: A Derivation of Vlassov Theory via Γ-Convergence

This paper deals with the asymptotic analysis of the three-dimensional problem for a linearly elastic cantilever having an open cross-section which is the union of rectangles with sides of order ε and ε ², as ε goes to zero. Under suitable assumptions on the given loads and for homogeneous and isotropic material, we show that the three-dimensional problem Γ-converges to the classical one-dimensional Vlassov model for thin-walled beams.      

Error Bounds for a Deterministic Version of the Glimm Scheme

Consider the hyperbolic system of conservation laws . Let u be the unique viscosity solution with initial condition , and let u ^ε be an approximate solution constructed by the Glimm scheme, corresponding to the mesh sizes . With a suitable choice of the sampling sequence, we prove the estimate (Accepted September 13, 1996)     

The criterion of the existence or inexistence of transverse shock wave at wedge supported oblique detonation wave

A simplified theoretic method and numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the characterization of propagation of transverse shock wave at wedge supported oblique detonation wave.After solution validation,a criterion which is associated with the ratio Φ (u 2 /u CJ) of existence or inexistence of the transverse shock wave at the region of the primary triple was deduced systematically by 38 cases.It is observed that for abrupt oblique shock wave (OSW)/oblique detonation wave (ODW) transition,a transverse shock wave is generated at the region of the primary triple when Φ < 1,however,such a transverse shock wave does not take place for the smooth OSW/ODW transition when Φ > 1.The parameter Φ can be expressed as the Mach number behind the ODW front for stable CJ detonation.When 0.9 < Φ < 1.0,the reflected shock wave can pass across the contact discontinuity and interact with transverse waves which are originating from the ODW front.When 0.8 < Φ < 0.9,the reflected shock wave can not pass across the contact discontinuity and only reflects at the contact discontinuity.The condition (0.8 < Φ < 0.9) agrees well with the ratio (D ave /D CJ) in the critical detonation.     

Boundary and angular layer behavior in singularly perturbed semilinear systems

Some authors employed the method and technique of differential inequalities to obtain fairly general results concerning the existence and asymptotic behavior, as ε→n~+, of the solutions of scalar boundary value problems In this paper, we extend these results to vector boundary value problems, under analogous stability conditions on the solution u=u(t) of the reduced equation O=h(t, u) Two types of asymptotic behavior are studied, depending on whether the reduced solution u(t) has or does not have a con tinuous first derivative in (a, b) leading to the phenomena of boundary and angular layers.     

Asymptotic Stability of Riemann Solutions for a Class of Multidimensional Systems of Conservation Laws with Viscosity

We prove the asymptotic stability of two-state nonplanar Riemann solutions for a class of multidimensional hyperbolic systems of conservation laws when the initial data are perturbed and viscosity is added. The class considered here is those systems whose flux functions in different directions share a common complete system of Riemann invariants, the level surfaces of which are hyperplanes. In particular, we obtain the uniqueness of the self-similar L^∞ entropy solution of the two-state nonplanar Riemann problem. The asymptotic stability to which the main result refers is in the sense of the convergence as t→∞ in L_loc¹ of the space of directions ξ = x/t. That is, the solution u(t, x) of the perturbed problem satisfies u(t, tξ)→R(ξ) as t→∞, in L_loc¹(ℝⁿ), where R(ξ) is the self-similar entropy solution of the corresponding two-state nonplanar Riemann problem.     

Existence and Stability of Multidimensional Shock Fronts in the Vanishing Viscosity Limit

In this paper we present a new approach to the study of linear and nonlinear stability of inviscid multidimensional shock waves under small viscosity perturbation, yielding optimal estimates and eventually an extension to the viscous case of the celebrated theorem of Majda on existence and stability of multidimensional shock waves. More precisely, given a curved Lax shock solution u⁰ to a hyperbolic system of conservation laws, we construct nearby viscous shock solutions u to a parabolic viscous perturbation of the hyperbolic system which converge to u⁰ as viscosity 0 and satisfy an appropriate (conormal) version of Majdas stability estimate.The main new feature of the paper is the derivation of maximal and optimal estimates for the linearization of the parabolic problem about a highly singular approximate solution. These estimates are more robust than the singular estimates obtained in our previous work, and permit us to remove an earlier assumption limiting how much the inviscid shock we start with can deviate from flatness.The key to the new approach is to work with the full linearization of the parabolic problem, that is, the linearization with respect to both u and the unknown viscous front, and to allow variation of the front at all stages – not only in the construction of the approximate solution as done in previous work, but also in the final error equation. After reformulating the problem as a transmission problem, we show that the linearized problem can be desingularized and optimal estimates obtained by adding an appropriate extra boundary condition involving the front. The extra condition determines a local evolution rule for the viscous front.Acknowledgement The work of O.G. was partially supported by European network HYKE, HPRN-CT-2002-00282. The work of G.M. was partially supported by European network HYKE, HPRN-CT-2002-00282. The work of M.W. was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0070684. The work of K.Z. was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0070765.     

Transonic Shock Problem for the Euler System in a Nozzle

In this paper, we study the well-posedness problem on transonic shocks for steady ideal compressible flows through a two-dimensional slowly varying nozzle with an appropriately given pressure at the exit of the nozzle. This is motivated by the following transonic phenomena in a de Laval nozzle. Given an appropriately large receiver pressure P _r , if the upstream flow remains supersonic behind the throat of the nozzle, then at a certain place in the diverging part of the nozzle, a shock front intervenes and the flow is compressed and slowed down to subsonic speed, and the position and the strength of the shock front are automatically adjusted so that the end pressure at exit becomes P _r , as clearly stated by Courant and Friedrichs [Supersonic flow and shock waves, Interscience Publishers, New York, 1948 (see section 143 and 147)]. The transonic shock front is a free boundary dividing two regions of C ^2,α flow in the nozzle. The full Euler system is hyperbolic upstream where the flow is supersonic, and coupled hyperbolic-elliptic in the downstream region Ω₊ of the nozzle where the flow is subsonic. Based on Bernoulli’s law, we can reformulate the problem by decomposing the 3 × 3 Euler system into a weakly coupled second order elliptic equation for the density ρ with mixed boundary conditions, a 2 × 2 first order system on u ₂ with a value given at a point, and an algebraic equation on (ρ, u ₁, u ₂) along a streamline. In terms of this reformulation, we can show the uniqueness of such a transonic shock solution if it exists and the shock front goes through a fixed point. Furthermore, we prove that there is no such transonic shock solution for a class of nozzles with some large pressure given at the exit. This research was supported in part by the Zheng Ge Ru Foundation when Yin Huicheng was visiting The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Xin is supported in part by Hong Kong RGC Earmarked Research Grants CUHK-4028/04P, CUHK-4040/06P, and Central Allocation Grant CA05-06.SC01. Yin is supported in part by NNSF of China and Doctoral Program of NEM of China.     

Existence Theory for Hyperbolic Systems of Conservation Laws with General Flux-Functions

c ). To begin with, we assume that the flux-function f(u) is piecewise genuinely nonlinear, in the sense that it exhibits finitely many (at most p, say) points of lack of genuine nonlinearity along each wave curve. Importantly, our analysis applies to arbitrary large p, in the sense that the constant c restricting the total variation is independent of p. Second, by an approximation argument, we prove that the existence theory above extends to general flux-functions f(u) that can be approached by a sequence of piecewise genuinely nonlinear flux-functions f ^ε(u). The main contribution in this paper is the derivation of uniform estimates for the wave curves and wave interactions (which are entirely independent of the properties of the flux-function) together with a new wave interaction potential which is decreasing in time and is a fully local functional depending upon the angle made by any two propagating discontinuities. Our existence theory applies, for instance, to the p-system of gas dynamics for general pressure-laws p=p(v) satisfying solely the hyperbolicity condition p′(v)<0 but no convexity assumption. (Accepted December 30, 2002) Published online April 23, 2003 Communicated by C. M. Dafermos     

Rheo-Dielectric behavior of low molecular weight liquid crystals.

Dielectric relaxation behavior was examined for 4-4′-n-pentyl-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) and 4-4′-n-heptyl-cyanobiphenyl (7CB) under flow. In quiescent states at all temperatures examined, both 5CB and 7CB exhibited dispersions in their complex dielectric constant ε*(ω) at characteristic frequencies ω _c above 10⁶ rad s^–1. This dispersion reflected orientational fluctuation of individual 5CB and 7CB molecules having large dipoles parallel to their principal axis (in the direction of C≡N bond). In the isotropic state at high temperatures, these molecules exhibited no detectable changes of ε*(ω) under flow at shear rates . In contrast, in the nematic state at lower temperatures the terminal relaxation intensity of ε*(ω) as well as the static dielectric constant ε′(0) decreased under flow at . This rheo-dielectric change was discussed in relation to the flow effects on the nematic texture (director distribution) and anisotropy in motion of individual molecules with respect to the director. Received: 14 April 1998 Accepted: 29 July 1998     

Standing Waves for Nonlinear Schrödinger Equations with a General Nonlinearity

For elliptic equations ε²Δu − V(x) u + f(u) = 0, x ∈ R ^N , N ≧ 3, we develop a new variational approach to construct localized positive solutions which concentrate at an isolated component of positive local minimum points of V, as ε → 0, under conditions on f which we believe to be almost optimal. An erratum to this article can be found at