Global solution to a singular integro-differential system related to the entropy balance

This paper is devoted to the mathematical analysis of a thermodynamic model describing phase transitions with thermal memory in terms of an entropy equation and a momentum balance for the microforces. The initial and boundary value problem is addressed for the related integro-differential system of partial differential equations (PDEs). Existence and uniqueness, continuous dependence on the data, and regularity results are proved for the global solution, in a finite time interval.     

Asymptotic behaviour of a phase-field model with three coupled equations without uniqueness

We prove the existence of weak solutions for a phase-field model with three coupled equations with unknown uniqueness, and state several dynamical systems depending on the regularity of the initial data. Then, the existence of families of global attractors (level-set depending) for the corresponding multi-valued semiflows is established, applying an energy method. Finally, using the regularizing effect of the problem, we prove that these attractors are in fact the same.     

Universal Attractor for a Penrose-Fife System with Special Heat Flux Law

A Penrose-Fife system for non isothermal phase transitions with non conserved order parameter is introduced. A linear growth of the latent heat density with respect to the phase field is allowed. Continous dependence on data and the existence of the universal attractor for the associated nonlinear semigroup are shown. These properties hold with respect to a strong metric accounting for the nonlinear and even singular terms characterizing the system. The present analysis extends a former result by the same authors, holding in the case of a constant latent heat.     

Asymptotic behavior of a nonisothermal viscous Cahn-Hilliard equation with inertial term

We consider a differential model describing nonisothermal fast phase separation processes taking place in a three-dimensional bounded domain. This model consists of a viscous Cahn-Hilliard equation characterized by the presence of an inertial term χtt, χ being the order parameter, which is linearly coupled with an evolution equation for the (relative) temperature ?. The latter can be of hyperbolic type if the Cattaneo-Maxwell heat conduction law is assumed. The state variables and the chemical potential are subject to the homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. We first provide conditions which ensure the well-posedness of the initial and boundary value problem. Then, we prove that the corresponding dynamical system is dissipative and possesses a global attractor. Moreover, assuming that the nonlinear potential is real analytic, we establish that each trajectory converges to a single steady state by using a suitable version of the ?ojasiewicz-Simon inequality. We also obtain an estimate of the decay rate to equilibrium.     

Analysis of a nonlinear degenerating PDE system for phase transitions in thermoviscoelastic materials

We address the analysis of a nonlinear and degenerating PDE system, proposed by M. Frémond for modelling phase transitions in viscoelastic materials subject to thermal effects. The system features an internal energy balance equation, governing the evolution of the absolute temperature ?, an evolution equation for the phase change parameter χ, and a stress-strain relation for the displacement variable u. The main novelty of the model is that the equations for χ and u are coupled in such a way as to take into account the fact that the properties of the viscous and of the elastic parts influence the phase transition phenomenon in different ways. However, this brings about an elliptic degeneracy in the equation for u which needs to be carefully handled.In this paper, we first prove a local (in time) well-posedness result for (a suitable initial-boundary value problem for) the above mentioned PDE system, in the (spatially) three-dimensional setting. Secondly, we restrict to the one-dimensional case, in which, for the same initial-boundary value problem, we indeed obtain a global well-posedness theorem.     

Phase-field systems with nonlinear coupling and dynamic boundary conditions

We consider phase-field systems of Caginalp type on a three-dimensional bounded domain. The order parameter fulfills a dynamic boundary condition, while the (relative) temperature is subject to a homogeneous boundary condition of Dirichlet, Neumann or Robin type. Moreover, the two equations are nonlinearly coupled through a quadratic growth function. Here we extend several results which have been proven by some of the authors for the linear coupling. More precisely, we demonstrate the existence and uniqueness of global solutions. Then we analyze the associated dynamical system and we establish the existence of global as well as exponential attractors. We also discuss the convergence of given solutions to a single equilibrium.     

Existence of a universal attractor for a fully hyperbolic phase-field system

Here we study a nonlinear hyperbolic integrodifferential system which was proposed by H.G. Rotstein et al. to describe certain peculiar phase transition phenomena. This system governs the evolution of the (relative) temperature and the order parameter (or phase-field) . We first consider an initial and boundary value problem associated with the system and we frame it in a history space setting. This is done by introducing two additional variables accounting for the histories of and . Then we show that the reformulated problem generates a dissipative dynamical system in a suitable infinite-dimensional phase space. Finally, we prove the existence of a universal attractor.     

On a phase-field system based on the Cattaneo law

Our aim in this paper is to study a generalization of the Caginalp phase-field system based on the Maxwell-Cattaneo law for heat conduction and endowed with Neumann boundary conditions. In particular, we obtain well-posedness results and study the dissipativity of the associated solution operators. We also prove, when the enthalpy is conserved, the existence of the global attractor. We finally study the spatial behavior of solutions in a semi-infinite cylinder, assuming that such solutions exist and have a proper (spatial) decay at infinity.     

On a nonlocal model of image segmentation

We understand an image as binary grey ‘alloy’ of a black and a white component and use a nonlocal phase separation model to describe image segmentation. The model consists in a degenerate nonlinear parabolic equation with a nonlocal drift term additionally to the familiar Perona-Malik model. We formulate conditions for the model parameters to guarantee global existence of a unique solution that tends exponentially in time to a unique steady state. This steady state is solution of a nonlocal nonlinear elliptic boundary value problem and allows a variational characterization. Numerical examples demonstrate the properties of the model.Dedicated to Klaus Kirchgässner on the occasion of his 70th birthdayReceived: November 12, 2002; revised: April 8, 2003     

Global attractor for a model of extensible beam with nonlinear damping and source terms

This paper is concerned with the existence of a global attractor for the nonlinear beam equation, with nonlinear damping and source terms,

     

Reconstruction of two time independent coefficients in an inverse problem for a phase field system

In this paper we present stability results concerning the inverse problem of determining two time independent coefficients for a phase field system in a bounded domain Ω⊂Rⁿ for the dimension n≤3 with a single observation on a subdomain ω?Ω and the Sobolev norm of certain partial derivatives of the solutions at a fixed positive time θ∈(0,T) over the whole spatial domain. The proof of these results relies on an appropriate Carleman estimate for the phase field system.     

The diffusive phase of a model of self-interacting walks

Summary We consider simple random walk onZ ^d perturbed by a factor exp[T ^–P J _T], whereT is the length of the walk and . Forp=1 and dimensionsd2, we prove that this walk behaves diffusively for all – < <₀, with ₀ > 0. Ford>2 the diffusion constant is equal to 1, but ford=2 it is renormalized. Ford=1 andp=3/2, we prove diffusion for all real (positive or negative). Ford>2 the scaling limit is Brownian motion, but ford2 it is the Edwards model (with the wrong sign of the coupling when >0) which governs the limiting behaviour; the latter arises since for ,T ^–p J _T is the discrete self-intersection local time. This establishes existence of a diffusive phase for this model. Existence of a collapsed phase for a very closely related model has been proven in work of Bolthausen and Schmock.     

Fractional powers of self-adjoint operators and Trotter-Kato product formula

We study error bounds in the operator norm topology for the Trotter-Kato product formula. We prove that they depend on fractional power conditions (domains and relative boundedness) for operators involved in this formula.Dedicated to Professor M.Sh.BIRMAN on the occassion of his 70th birthday.     

Error estimate in operator norm for Trotter-Kato product formula

In the present paper we study the error estimate in the operator norm for the Trotter-Kato product formula, having an intention to apply the obtained result to Schrödinger semigroups with singular potentials.     

Global dynamics and robustness of reversible autocatalytic reaction-diffusion systems

Global asymptotic dynamics of a representative cubic-autocatalytic reaction-diffusion system, the reversible Selkov equations, are investigated. This system features two pairs of oppositely signed nonlinear terms so that the asymptotic dissipative condition is not satisfied, which causes substantial difficulties in an attempt to attest that the longtime dynamics are asymptotically dissipative. An L² to H¹ global attractor of finite fractal dimension is shown to exist for the semiflow of the weak solutions of the reversible Selkov equations with the Dirichlet boundary condition on a bounded domain of dimension n≤3. A new method of rescaling and grouping estimation is used to prove the absorbing property and the asymptotical compactness. Importantly, the upper semicontinuity (robustness) in the H¹ product space of the global attractors for the family of solution semiflows with respect to the reverse reaction rate as it tends to zero is proved through a new approach of transformative decomposition to overcome the barrier of the perturbed singularity between the reversible and non-reversible systems by showing the uniform dissipativity and the uniformly bounded evolution of the union of global attractors under the bundle of reversible and non-reversible semiflows.     

Robust exponential attractors for a phase-field system with memory

H.G. Rotstein et al. proposed a nonconserved phase-field system characterized by the presence of memory terms both in the heat conduction and in the order parameter dynamics. These hereditary effects are represented by time convolution integrals whose relaxation kernels k and h are nonnegative, smooth and decreasing. Rescaling k and h properly, we obtain a system of coupled partial integrodifferential equations depending on two relaxation times ɛ and σ. When ɛ and σ tend to 0, the formal limiting system is the well-known nonconserved phase-field model proposed by G. Caginalp. Assuming the exponential decay of the relaxation kernels, the rescaled system, endowed with homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, generates a dissipative strongly continuous semigroup S_{ɛ, σ}(t) on a suitable phase space, which accounts for the past histories of the temperature as well as of the order parameter. Our main result consists in proving the existence of a family of exponential attractors for S_{ɛ, σ}(t), with ɛ, σ ∈ [0, 1], whose symmetric Hausdorff distance from tends to 0 in an explicitly controlled way.     

On the classification of phase transitions

A new classification of phase transitions is presented, based on an exact mathematical model of phase, on rigorous definitions and results regarding phase transitions which are classified to be of zeroth, second and first order. Then the relation between the known classifications due to Ehrenfest and Tisza, respectively, becomes clear.     

On the dynamics of phase transitions

The dynamics of phase transitions is described in ordinary thermodynamics i.e. the bodies are considered to be homogeneous. Stability properties of phase transitions are investigated by Lyapunov's method.