Interaction of faults under slip‐dependent friction. Non‐linear eigenvalue analysis

We analyse the evolution of a system of finite faults by considering the non‐linear eigenvalue problems associated to static and dynamic solutions on unbounded domains. We restrict our investigation to the first eigenvalue (Rayleigh quotient). We point out its physical significance through a stability analysis and we give an efficient numerical algorithm able to compute it together with the corresponding eigenfunction. We consider the anti‐plane shearing on a system of finite faults under a slip‐dependent friction in a linear elastic domain, not necessarily bounded. The static problem is formulated in terms of local minima of the energy functional. We introduce the non‐linear (static) eigenvalue problem and we prove the existence of a first eigenvalue/eigenfunction characterizing the isolated local minima. For the dynamic problem, we discuss the existence of solutions with an exponential growth, to deduce a (dynamic) non‐linear eigenvalue problem. We prove the existence of a first dynamic eigenvalue and we analyse its behaviour with respect to the friction parameter. We deduce a mixed finite element discretization of the non‐linear spectral problem and we give a numerical algorithm to approach the first eigenvalue/eigenfunction. Finally we give some numerical results which include convergence tests, on a single fault and a two‐faults system, and a comparison between the non‐linear spectral results and the time evolution results. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On ω-limit Sets of Triangular Maps on the Unit Cube

We consider Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problems of second order with arbitary seperated boundary conditions and perform a suitabl discretization of them. The obtained discrete Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problems are examined and the asymptotic behavior of their eigenvalue as the norm of the partition tends to zero is investigated.     

Steklov-Neumann eigenproblems and nonlinear elliptic equations with nonlinear boundary conditions

We study the solvability of nonlinear second order elliptic partial differential equations with nonlinear boundary conditions. We introduce the notion of “eigenvalue-lines” in the plane; these eigenvalue-lines join each Steklov eigenvalue to the first eigenvalue of the Neumann problem with homogeneous boundary condition. We prove existence results when the nonlinearities involved asymptotically stay, in some sense, below the first eigenvalue-lines or in a quadrilateral region (depicted in Fig. 1) enclosed by two consecutive eigenvalue-lines. As a special case we derive the so-called nonresonance results below the first Steklov eigenvalue as well as between two consecutive Steklov eigenvalues. The case in which the eigenvalue-lines join each Neumann eigenvalue to the first Steklov eigenvalue is also considered. Our method of proof is variational and relies mainly on minimax methods in critical point theory.     

On the Shape Sensitivity of the First Dirichlet Eigenvalue for Two-Phase Problems

We consider a two-phase problem in thermal conductivity: inclusions filled with a material of conductivity σ ₁ are layered in a body of conductivity σ ₂. We address the shape sensitivity of the first eigenvalue associated with Dirichlet boundary conditions when both the boundaries of the inclusions and the body can be modified. We prove a differentiability result and provide the expressions of the first and second order derivatives. We apply the results to the optimal design of an insulated body. We prove the stability of the optimal design thanks to a second order analysis. We also continue the study of an extremal eigenvalue problem for a two-phase conductor in a ball initiated by Conca et al. (Appl. Math. Optim. 60(2):173–184, 2009) and pursued in Conca et al. (CANUM 2008, ESAIM Proc., vol. 27, pp.  311–321, EDP Sci., Les Ulis, 2009).     

Two remarks on Monge-Ampere equations

Summary We consider real Monge-Ampère equations and we present two new properties of these equations. First, we show the existence of the «first eigenvalue of Monge-Ampère equation» i.e. we show the existence of a positive constant possessing all the properties of the first eigenvalue of a 2-nd order elliptic operator (positivity, uniqueness of the eigenfunction, maximum principle, bifurcation...).The second property concerns variational characterisations of solutions. Both properties are closely related to similar properties of the general class of Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations.     

Existence of an extremal ground state energy of a nanostructured quantum dot

This paper is concerned with two rearrangement optimization problems. These problems are motivated by two eigenvalue problems which depend nonlinearly on the eigenvalues. We consider a rational and a quadratic eigenvalue problem with Dirichlet’s boundary condition and investigate two related optimization problems where the goal function is the corresponding first eigenvalue. The first eigenvalue in the rational eigenvalue problem represents the ground state energy of a nanostructured quantum dot. In both the problems, the admissible set is a rearrangement class of a given function.     

Finite Element Approximation of a Contact Vector Eigenvalue Problem

We consider a nonstandard elliptic eigenvalue problem of second order on a two-component domain consisting of two intervals with a contact point. The interaction between the two domains is expressed through a coupling condition of nonlocal type, more specifically, in integral form. The problem under consideration is first stated in its variational form and next interpreted as a second-order differential eigenvalue problem. The aim is to set up a finite element method for this problem. The error analysis involved is shown to be affected by the nonlocal condition, which requires a suitable modification of the vector Lagrange interpolant on the overall finite element mesh. Nevertheless, we arrive at optimal error estimates. In the last section, an illustrative numerical example is given, which confirms the theoretical results.     

Multiple and sign‐changing solutions for the multivalued p ‐Laplacian equation

We consider a class of elliptic inclusions under Dirichlet boundary conditions involving multifunctions of Clarke's generalized gradient. Under conditions given in terms of the first eigenvalue as well as the Fu?ik spectrum of the p ‐Laplacian we prove the existence of a positive, a negative and a sign‐changing solution. Our approach is based on variational methods for nonsmooth functionals (nonsmooth critical point theory, second deformation lemma), and comparison principles for multivalued elliptic problems. In particular, the existence of extremal constant‐sign solutions plays a key role in the proof of sign‐changing solutions (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Multiple nontrivial solutions for resonant Neumann problems

We consider semilinear second order elliptic Neumann problems, which are resonant both at infinity (with respect to an eigenvalue λ_k, k ≥ 1) and at zero (with respect to the principal eigenvalue λ₀ = 0). Using techniques from Morse theory, combined with variational methods, we are able to show that the problem has at least four nontrivial smooth solutions (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

ESTIMATES ON THE FIRST TWO POLY-LAPLACIAN EIGENVALUES ON SPHERICAL DOMAINS

In this article,we study the first two eigenvalues of the higher order buckling problem on a domain in the unit sphere.We obtain an estimate on the second eigenvalue in terms of the first eigenvalue.In...     

Condition of extremum for eigenvalues of elliptic boundary-value problems

In this paper, we consider problems of eigenvalue optimization for elliptic boundary-value problems. The coefficients of the higher derivatives are determined by the internal characteristics of the medium and play the role of control. The necessary conditions of the first and second order for problems of the first eigenvalue maximization are presented. In the case where the maximum is reached on a simple eigenvalue, the second-order condition is formulated as completeness condition for a system of functions in Banach space. If the maximum is reached on a double eigenvalue, the necessary condition is presented in the form of linear dependence for a system of functions. In both cases, the system is comprised of the eigenfunctions of the initial-boundary value problem. As an example, we consider the problem of maximization of the first eigenvalue of a buckling column that lies on an elastic foundation.     

On the motion of rigid bodies in a viscous incompressible fluid

This paper is a survey on classical results and open questions about minimization problems concerning the lower eigenvalues of the Laplace operator. After recalling classical isoperimetric inequalities for the two first eigenvalues, we present recent advances on this topic. In particular, we study the minimization of the second eigenvalue among plane convex domains. We also discuss the minimization of the third eigenvalue. We prove existence of a minimizer. For others eigenvalues, we just give some conjectures. We also consider the case of Neumann, Robin and Stekloff boundary conditions together with various functions of the eigenvalues.AMS Subject Classification: 49Q10m, 35P15, 49J20.     

Two variants of magnetic diffusivity stabilized finite element methods for the magnetic induction equation

We consider the time‐dependent magnetic induction model where the sought magnetic field interacts with a prescribed velocity field. This coupling results in an additional force term and time dependence in Maxwell's equation. We propose two different magnetic diffusivity stabilized continuous nodal‐based finite element methods for this problem. The first formulation simply adds artificial magnetic diffusivity to the partial differential equation, whereas the second one uses a local projected magnetic diffusivity as stabilization. We describe those methods and analyze them semi‐discretized in space to get bounds on stabilization parameters where we distinguish equal‐order elements and Taylor‐Hood elements. Different numerical experiments are performed to illustrate our theoretical findings.     

On the first eigenvalue of the linearized operator of ther-th mean curvature of a hypersurface

We generalize Reilly's inequality for the first eigenvalue of immersed submanifolds ofIR ^m +¹ and the total (squared) mean curvature, to hypersurfaces ofIR ^m +¹ and the first eigenvalue of the higher order curvatures. We apply this to stability problems. We also consider hypersurfaces in hyperbolic space.     

On the numerical treatment of the eigenparameter dependent boundary conditions

In this paper, we consider the numerical treatment of singular eigenvalue problems supplied with eigenparameter dependent boundary conditions using spectral methods. On the one hand, such boundary conditions hinder the construction of test and trial space functions which could incorporate them and thus providing well-conditioned Galerkin discretization matrices. On the other hand, they can generate surprising behavior of the eigenvectors hardly detected by analytic methods. These singular problems are often indirectly approximated by regular ones. We argue that spectral collocation as well as tau method offer remedies for the first two issues and provide direct and efficient treatment to such problems. On a finite domain, we consider the so-called Petterson-König’s rod eigenvalue problem and on the half line, we take into account the Charney’s baroclinic stability problem and the Fourier eigenvalue problem. One boundary condition in these problems depends on the eigenparameter and additionally, this also could depend on some physical parameters. The Chebyshev collocation based on both, square and rectangular differentiation and a Chebyshev tau method are used to discretize the first problem. All these schemes cast the problems into singular algebraic generalized eigenvalue ones which are solved by the QZ and/or Arnoldi algorithms as well as by some target oriented Jacobi-Davidson methods. Thus, the spurious eigenvalues are completely eliminated. The accuracy of square Chebyshev collocation is roughly estimated and its order of approximation with respect to the eigenvalue of interest is determined. For the problems defined on the half line, we make use of the Laguerre-Gauss-Radau collocation. The method proved to be reliable, accurate, and stable with respect to the order of approximation and the scaling parameter.     

Mesh‐independent convergence of the modified inexact Newton method for a second order non‐linear problem

In this paper, we consider an inexact Newton method applied to a second order non‐linear problem with higher order non‐linearities. We provide conditions under which the method has a mesh‐independent rate of convergence. To do this, we are required, first, to set up the problem on a scale of Hilbert spaces and second, to devise a special iterative technique which converges in a higher than first order Sobolev norm. We show that the linear (Jacobian) system solved in Newton's method can be replaced with one iterative step provided that the initial non‐linear iterate is accurate enough. The closeness criteria can be taken independent of the mesh size. Finally, the results of numerical experiments are given to support the theory. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiple solutions for resonant nonlinear periodic equations

We consider a nonlinear periodic problem driven by the scalar p-Laplacian, with an asymptotically (p?1)-linear nonlinearity. We permit resonance with respect to the second positive eigenvalue of the negative periodic scalar p-Laplacian and we assume nonuniform nonresonance with respect to the first positive eigenvalue. Using a combination of variational methods, with truncation techniques and Morse theory, we show that the problem has at least three nontrivial solutions.     

Sign-changing solutions and multiplicity results for elliptic problems via lower and upper solutions

In the first part of this work, we recall variational methods related to invariant sets in ${C^1_0}$ . In the second part of the work, we consider an elliptic Dirichlet problem in a situation where the origin is a solution around which the nonlinearity has a slope between two consecutive eigenvalues of order larger than 2 and near + infinity the slope of the nonlinearity is smaller than the first eigenvalue. Then we discuss the conditions needed near - infinity in order to ensure the existence of a positive solution and two sign-changing solutions.     

Solutions and multiple solutions for problems with the p-Laplacian

In this paper we consider two nonlinear elliptic problems driven by the p-Laplacian and having a nonsmooth potential (hemivariational inequalities). The first is an eigenvalue problem and we prove that if the parameter λ < λ₂ = the second eigenvalue of the p-Laplacian, then there exists a nontrivial smooth solution. The second problem is resonant both near zero and near infinity for the principal eigenvalue of the p-Laplacian. For this problem we prove a multiplicity result. Our approach is variational based on the nonsmooth critical point theory.     

The Laplacian spectra of graphs with a tree structure

Trees are very common in the theory and applications of combinatorics. In this article, we consider graphs whose underlying structure is a tree, except that its vertices are graphs in their own right and where adjacent graphs (vertices) are linked by taking their join. We study the spectral properties of the Laplacian matrices of such graphs. It turns out that in order to capture known spectral properties of the Laplacian matrices of trees, it is necessary to consider the Laplacians of vertex-weighted graphs. We focus on the second smallest eigenvalue of such Laplacians and on the properties of their corresponding eigenvector. We characterize the second smallest eigenvalue in terms of the Perron branches of a tree. Finally, we show that our results are applicable to advancing the solution to the problem of whether there exists a graph on n vertices whose Laplacian has the integer eigenvalues 0, 1, …, n ? 1.