Symmetry of Mountain Pass Solutions of Some Vector Field Equations

We prove radial symmetry (or axial symmetry) of the mountain pass solution of variational elliptic systems − AΔu(x) + ∇ F(u(x)) = 0 (or − ∇.(A(r) ∇ u(x)) + ∇ F(r,u(x)) = 0,) u(x) = (u ₁(x),...,u _N (x)), where A (or A(r)) is a symmetric positive definite matrix. The solutions are defined in a domain Ω which can be , a ball, an annulus or the exterior of a ball. The boundary conditions are either Dirichlet or Neumann (or any one which is invariant under rotation). The mountain pass solutions studied here are given by constrained minimization on the Nehari manifold. We prove symmetry using the reflection method introduced in Lopes [(1996), J. Diff. Eq. 124, 378–388; (1996), Eletron. J. Diff. Eq. 3, 1–14].     

Vorticity and Regularity for Viscous Incompressible Flows under the Dirichlet Boundary Condition. Results and Related Open Problems

In reference [7] it is proved that the solution of the evolution Navier–Stokes equations in the whole of R ³ must be smooth if the direction of the vorticity is Lipschitz continuous with respect to the space variables. In reference [5] the authors improve the above result by showing that Lipschitz continuity may be replaced by 1/2-H?lder continuity. A central point in the proofs is to estimate the integral of the term (ω · ∇)u · ω, where u is the velocity and ω = ∇ × u is the vorticity. In reference [4] we extend the main estimates on the above integral term to solutions under the slip boundary condition in the half-space R ₊³. This allows an immediate extension to this problem of the 1/2-H?lder sufficient condition. The aim of these notes is to show that under the non-slip boundary condition the above integral term may be estimated as well in a similar, even simpler, way. Nevertheless, without further hypotheses, we are not able now to extend to the non slip (or adherence) boundary condition the 1/2-H?lder sufficient condition. This is not due to the “nonlinear" term (ω · ∇)u · ω but to a boundary integral which is due to the combination of viscosity and adherence to the boundary. On the other hand, by appealing to the properties of Green functions, we are able to consider here a regular, arbitrary open set Ω.      

Vorticities in a LES Model for 3D Periodic Turbulent Flows

This paper is devoted to the study of a LES model to simulate turbulent 3D periodic flow. We focus our attention on the vorticity equation derived from this LES model for small values of the numerical grid size δ. We obtain entropy inequalities for the sequence of corresponding vorticities and corresponding pressures independent of δ, provided the initial velocity u₀ is in L_x² while the initial vorticity ω₀ = ∇ × u₀ is in L_x¹. When δ tends to zero, we show convergence, in a distributional sense, of the corresponding equations for the vorticities to the classical 3D equation for the vorticity.     

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     

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.     

Dependence of the wake on inclination of a stationary cylinder

Three-dimensional vorticity in the wake of an inclined stationary circular cylinder was measured simultaneously using a multi-hot wire vorticity probe over a streamwise range of x/d = 10–40. The study aimed to examine the dependence of the wake characteristics on cylinder inclination angle α (=0°–45°). The validity of the independence principle (IP) for vortex shedding was also examined. It was found that the spanwise mean velocity which represents the three-dimensionality of the wake flow, increases monotonically with α. The root-mean-square (rms) values of the streamwise (u) and spanwise (w) velocities and the three vorticity components decrease significantly with the increase of α, whereas the transverse velocity (v) does not follow the same trend. The vortex shedding frequency decreases with the increase of α. The Strouhal number (St _N), obtained by using the velocity component normal to the cylinder axis, remains approximately a constant within the experimental uncertainty (±8%) when α is smaller than about 40°. The autocorrelation coefficients ρ _u and ρ _v of the u and v velocity signals show apparent periodicity for all inclination angles. With increasing α, ρ _u and ρ _v decrease and approach zero quickly. In contrast, the autocorrelation coefficient ρ _w of w increases with α in the near wake, implying an enhanced three-dimensionality of the wake.     

Intermediate Asymptotics Beyond Homogeneity and Self-Similarity: Long Time Behavior for u t = Δϕ(u)

We investigate the long time asymptotics in L¹₊(R) for solutions of general nonlinear diffusion equations u_t = Δϕ(u). We describe, for the first time, the intermediate asymptotics for a very large class of non-homogeneous nonlinearities ϕ for which long time asymptotics cannot be characterized by self-similar solutions. Scaling the solutions by their own second moment (temperature in the kinetic theory language) we obtain a universal asymptotic profile characterized by fixed points of certain maps in probability measures spaces endowed with the Euclidean Wasserstein distance d₂. In the particular case of ϕ(u) ~ u^m at first order when u ~ 0, we also obtain an optimal rate of convergence in L¹ towards the asymptotic profile identified, in this case, as the Barenblatt self-similar solution corresponding to the exponent m. This second result holds for a larger class of nonlinearities compared to results in the existing literature and is achieved by a variation of the entropy dissipation method in which the nonlinear filtration equation is considered as a perturbation of the porous medium equation.     

Effect of initial conditions on decaying grid turbulence at low R λ

The transport equations for the second-order velocity structure functions 〈(δu)²〉 and 〈(δq)²〉 are used as a scale-by-scale budget to quantify the effect of initial conditions at low Reynolds numbers, typical of grid turbulence. The validity of these equations is first investigated via hot-wire measurements of velocity and transverse vorticity fluctuations. The transport equation for 〈(δq)²〉 is shown to be balanced at all scales, while anisotropy of the large scales leads to a significant imbalance in the equation for 〈(δu)²〉. The effect of using similarity to evaluate the transport equation is rigorously tested. This approach has the desirable benefit of requiring less extensive measurements to calculate the inhomogeneous term of the transport equation. The similarity form of the 〈(δq)²〉 equation produces nearly identical results as those obtained without the similarity assumption. In the case of the 〈(δu)²〉 equation, the similarity method forces a balance at large separation, although the imbalance due to large scale anisotropy remains. The initial conditions of the turbulence at constant R _M ≃ 10,400 (28≤ R _λ≤ 55) are changed by using three grids of different geometries. Initial conditions affect the shape and magnitude of the second- and third-order structure functions, as well as the anisotropy of the large scales. The effect of initial conditions on the scale-by-scale budget is restricted to the inhomogeneous term of the transport equations, while the dissipation term remains unaffected despite the low R _λ. Scales as small as λ are affected by the changes in initial conditions.     

Streamwise evolution of an inclined cylinder wake

The streamwise evolution of an inclined circular cylinder wake was investigated by measuring all three velocity and vorticity components using an eight-hotwire vorticity probe in a wind tunnel at a Reynolds number Re_d of 7,200 based on free stream velocity (U _∞) and cylinder diameter (d). The measurements were conducted at four different inclination angles (α), namely 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45° and at three downstream locations, i.e., x/d = 10, 20, and 40 from the cylinder. At x/d = 10, the effects of α on the three coherent vorticity components are negligibly small for α ≤ 15°. When α increases further to 45°, the maximum of coherent spanwise vorticity reduces by about 50%, while that of the streamwise vorticity increases by about 70%. Similar results are found at x/d = 20, indicating the impaired spanwise vortices and the enhancement of the three-dimensionality of the wake with increasing α. The streamwise decay rate of the coherent spanwise vorticity is smaller for a larger α. This is because the streamwise spacing between the spanwise vortices is bigger for a larger α, resulting in a weak interaction between the vortices and hence slower decaying rate in the streamwise direction. For all tested α, the coherent contribution to [`(v<sup>2</sup>)] \overline{{v^{2}}} is remarkable at x/d = 10 and 20 and significantly larger than that to [`(u²)] \overline{{u^{2}}} and [`(w<sup>2</sup>)]. \overline{{w^{2}}}. This contribution to all three Reynolds normal stresses becomes negligibly small at x/d = 40. The coherent contribution to [`(u²)] \overline{{u^{2}}} and [`(v²)] \overline{{v^{2}}} decays slower as moving downstream for a larger α, consistent with the slow decay of the coherent spanwise vorticity for a larger α.     

Entire Solutions with Merging Fronts to Reaction–Diffusion Equations

We deal with a reaction–diffusion equation u _t = u _xx + f(u) which has two stable constant equilibria, u = 0, 1 and a monotone increasing traveling front solution u = φ(x + ct) (c > 0) connecting those equilibria. Suppose that u = a (0 < a < 1) is an unstable equilibrium and that the equation allows monotone increasing traveling front solutions u = ψ₁(x + c ₁ t) (c ₁ < 0) and ψ₂(x + c ₂ t) (c ₂ > 0) connecting u = 0 with u = a and u = a with u = 1, respectively. We call by an entire solution a classical solution which is defined for all . We prove that there exists an entire solution such that for t≈ − ∞ it behaves as two fronts ψ₁(x + c ₁ t) and ψ₂(x + c ₂ t) on the left and right x-axes, respectively, while it converges to φ(x + ct) as t→∞. In addition, if c > − c ₁, we show the existence of an entire solution which behaves as ψ₁( − x + c ₁ t) in and φ(x + ct) in for t≈ − ∞.     

Special Fast Diffusion with Slow Asymptotics: Entropy Method and Flow on a Riemannian Manifold

We consider the asymptotic behaviour of positive solutions u(t, x) of the fast diffusion equation ${u_t=\Delta (u^{m}/m)= {\rm div}\,(u^{m-1} \nabla u)}We consider the asymptotic behaviour of positive solutions u(t, x) of the fast diffusion equation u_t=D(u^m/m) = div (u^m-1 ?u){u_t=\Delta (u^{m}/m)= {\rm div}\,(u^{m-1} \nabla u)} posed for x ? \mathbb R^d{x\in\mathbb R^d}, t > 0, with a precise value for the exponent m = (d − 4)/(d − 2). The space dimension is d ≧ 3 so that m < 1, and even m = −1 for d = 3. This case had been left open in the general study (Blanchet et al. in Arch Rat Mech Anal 191:347–385, 2009) since it requires quite different functional analytic methods, due in particular to the absence of a spectral gap for the operator generating the linearized evolution. The linearization of this flow is interpreted here as the heat flow of the Laplace– Beltrami operator of a suitable Riemannian Manifold (\mathbb R^d,g){(\mathbb R^d,{\bf g})}, with a metric g which is conformal to the standard \mathbb R^d{\mathbb R^d} metric. Studying the pointwise heat kernel behaviour allows to prove suitable Gagliardo–Nirenberg inequalities associated with the generator. Such inequalities in turn allow one to study the nonlinear evolution as well, and to determine its asymptotics, which is identical to the one satisfied by the linearization. In terms of the rescaled representation, which is a nonlinear Fokker–Planck equation, the convergence rate turns out to be polynomial in time. This result is in contrast with the known exponential decay of such representation for all other values of m.     

A Sharp-Interface Limit for a Two-Well Problem in Geometrically Linear Elasticity

In the theory of solid-solid phase transitions the deformation of an elastic body is determined via a functional containing a nonconvex energy density and a singular perturbation. We study Frame indifference, within a linearized setting, requires that W depends only on the symmetric part of ∇u. The potential W is nonnegative and vanishes on two wells, i.e., for d = 2, on two lines in the space of matrices. We determine, for d = 2, the Gamma limit I₀ = Γ− lim _ɛ→0 I_ɛ. The limit I₀[u] is finite only for deformations u that fulfill W(∇u)=0 almost everywhere and have sharp interfaces where ∇u has jumps. For these u, I₀[u] equals the line integral over the interfaces of a surface energy density.     

Gearhart–Prüss Theorem and Linear Stability for Riemann Solutions of Conservation Laws

We study the spectral and linear stability of Riemann solutions with multiple Lax shocks for systems of conservation laws. Using a self-similar change of variables, Riemann solutions become stationary solutions for the system u _t + (Df(u) − x I)u _x = 0. In the space of O((1 + |x|)^−η) functions, we show that if , then λ is either an eigenvalue or a resolvent point. Eigenvalues of the linearized system are zeros of the determinant of a transcendental matrix. On some vertical lines in the complex plane, called resonance lines, the determinant can be arbitrarily small but nonzero. A C ⁰ semigroup is constructed. Using the Gearhart–Prüss Theorem, we show that the solutions are O(e ^{γ t} ) if γ is greater than the real parts of the eigenvalues and the coordinates of resonance lines. We study examples where Riemann solutions have two or three Lax-shocks. Dedicated to Professor Pavol Brunovsky on his 70th birthday.     

Asymptotic Variational Wave Equations

We investigate the equation (u _t +(f(u)) _x ) _x =f ^{′ ′}(u) (u _x )²/2 where f(u) is a given smooth function. Typically f(u)=u ²/2 or u ³/3. This equation models unidirectional and weakly nonlinear waves for the variational wave equation u _tt − c(u) (c(u)u _x ) _x =0 which models some liquid crystals with a natural sinusoidal c. The equation itself is also the Euler–Lagrange equation of a variational problem. Two natural classes of solutions can be associated with this equation. A conservative solution will preserve its energy in time, while a dissipative weak solution loses energy at the time when singularities appear. Conservative solutions are globally defined, forward and backward in time, and preserve interesting geometric features, such as the Hamiltonian structure. On the other hand, dissipative solutions appear to be more natural from the physical point of view.We establish the well-posedness of the Cauchy problem within the class of conservative solutions, for initial data having finite energy and assuming that the flux function f has a Lipschitz continuous second-order derivative. In the case where f is convex, the Cauchy problem is well posed also within the class of dissipative solutions. However, when f is not convex, we show that the dissipative solutions do not depend continuously on the initial data.     

Direct displacement method in crack theory (numerical resolution)

Solutions in crack theory can be defined directly by opening displacement v _○=v _○(x) and u _○=u _○(x) for the first and the second mode, respectively. In this case, the boundary conditions are expressed by singular integrals of the second order. Aiming to solve numerically the problems, we apply the finite-part definition for the singular integrals and the discretization procedure. Contributed to the memory of my Mother.     

Global Dynamics of Blow-up Profiles in One-dimensional Reaction Diffusion Equations

We consider reaction diffusion equations of the prototype form u _t = u _xx + λ u + |u| ^p-1 u on the interval 0 < x < π, with p > 1 and λ > m ². We study the global blow-up dynamics in the m-dimensional fast unstable manifold of the trivial equilibrium u ≡ 0. In particular, sign-changing solutions are included. Specifically, we find initial conditions such that the blow-up profile u(t, x) at blow-up time t = T possesses m + 1 intervals of strict monotonicity with prescribed extremal values u ₁, . . . ,u _m . Since u _k = ± ∞ at blow-up time t = T, for some k, this exhausts the dimensional possibilities of trajectories in the m-dimensional fast unstable manifold. Alternatively, we can prescribe the locations x = x ₁, . . . ,x _m of the extrema, at blow-up time, up to a one-dimensional constraint. The proofs are based on an elementary Brouwer degree argument for maps which encode the shapes of solution profiles via their extremal values and extremal locations, respectively. Even in the linear case, such an “interpolation of shape” was not known to us. Our blow-up result generalizes earlier work by Chen and Matano (1989), J. Diff. Eq. 78, 160–190, and Merle (1992), Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 45(3), 263–300 on multi-point blow-up for positive solutions, which were not constrained to possess global extensions for all negative times. Our results are based on continuity of the blow-up time, as proved by Merle (1992), Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 45(3), 263–300, and Quittner (2003), Houston J. Math. 29(3), 757–799, and on a refined variant of Merle’s continuity of the blow-up profile, as addressed in the companion paper Matano and Fiedler (2007) (in preparation). Dedicated to Palo Brunovsky on the occasion of his birthday.     

Isentropic Approximation¶of the Compressible Euler System¶in One Space Dimension

Using the stability results of Bressan & Colombo [BC] for strictly hyperbolic 2 × 2 systems in one space dimension, we prove that the solutions of isentropic and non-isentropic Euler equations in one space dimension with the respective initial data (ρ₀, u ₀) and (ρ₀, u ₀, &\theta;₀=ρ₀ ^{γ− 1}) remain close as soon as the total variation of (ρ₀, u ₀) is sufficiently small. Accepted April 25, 2000?Published online November 24, 2000     

The Decay Rate and Higher Approximation of Mild Solutions to the Navier�CStokes Equations

In this paper, we consider v(t) = u(t) − e ^tΔ u ₀, where u(t) is the mild solution of the Navier–Stokes equations with the initial data u₀ ? L²(\mathbb Rⁿ)?Lⁿ(\mathbb Rⁿ){u_0\in L^2({\mathbb R}^n)\cap L^n({\mathbb R}^n)} . We shall show that the L ² norm of D ^β v(t) decays like t^{-\frac |b|-1 2-\frac n4}{t^{-\frac {|\beta|-1} {2}-\frac n4}} for |β| ≥ 0. Moreover, we will find the asymptotic profile u ₁(t) such that the L ² norm of D ^β (v(t) − u ₁(t)) decays faster for 3 ≤ n ≤ 5 and |β| ≥ 0. Besides, higher-order asymptotics of v(t) are deduced under some assumptions.     

Global Semigroup of Conservative Solutions of the Nonlinear Variational Wave Equation

We prove the existence of a global semigroup for conservative solutions of the nonlinear variational wave equation u _tt − c(u)(c(u)u _x ) _x  = 0. We allow for initial data u| _{t = 0} and u _t | _t=0 that contain measures. We assume that 0 < k^-1 \leqq c(u) \leqq k{0 < \kappa^{-1} \leqq c(u) \leqq \kappa}. Solutions of this equation may experience concentration of the energy density (u_t²+c(u)²u_x²)dx{(u_t^2+c(u)^2u_x^2){\rm d}x} into sets of measure zero. The solution is constructed by introducing new variables related to the characteristics, whereby singularities in the energy density become manageable. Furthermore, we prove that the energy may focus only on a set of times of zero measure or at points where c′(u) vanishes. A new numerical method for constructing conservative solutions is provided and illustrated with examples.