Application of a Mickens finite‐difference scheme to the cylindrical Bratu‐Gelfand problem

The boundary value problem Δu + λe^u = 0 where u = 0 on the boundary is often referred to as “the Bratu problem.” The Bratu problem with cylindrical radial operators, also known as the cylindrical Bratu‐Gelfand problem, is considered here. It is a nonlinear eigenvalue problem with two known bifurcated solutions for λ < λ_c, no solutions for λ > λ_c and a unique solution when λ = λ_c. Numerical solutions to the Bratu‐Gelfand problem at the critical value of λ_c = 2 are computed using nonstandard finite‐difference schemes known as Mickens finite differences. Comparison of numerical results obtained by solving the Bratu‐Gelfand problem using a Mickens discretization with results obtained using standard finite differences for λ < 2 are given, which illustrate the superiority of the nonstandard scheme. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 20: 327–337, 2004     

UNIQUENESS OF RECOVERY OF SOME QUASILINEAR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

We prove uniqueness of the term c(u,p) of partial differential equations ?Δu + c(u, ?u) = 0 and ? _t u ? Δu + c(u, ?u) = 0 with the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map given on a part of the lateral boundary. We use a linearization method and singular solutions in the boundary reconstruction of the linearized equations     

On similarity solutions for boundary layer flows with prescribed heat flux

This paper is concerned with existence, uniqueness and behaviour of the solutions of the autonomous third‐order non‐linear differential equation f?+(m+2)f f″?(2m+1)f′²=0 on ?⁺ with the boundary conditions f(0)=?γ, f′(∞)=0 and f″(0)=?1. This problem arises when looking for similarity solutions for boundary layer flows with prescribed heat flux. To study solutions we use some direct approach as well as blowing‐up co‐ordinates to obtain a plane dynamical system. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On stable self‐similar blowup for equivariant wave maps

We consider corotational wave maps from (3 + 1) Minkowski space into the 3‐sphere. This is an energy supercritical model that is known to exhibit finite‐time blowup via self‐similar solutions. The ground state self‐similar solution f₀ is known in closed form, and according to numerics, it describes the generic blowup behavior of the system. We prove that the blowup via f₀ is stable under the assumption that f₀ does not have unstable modes. This condition is equivalent to a spectral assumption for a linear second order ordinary differential operator. In other words, we reduce the problem of stable blowup to a linear ODE spectral problem. Although we are unable at the moment to verify the mode stability of f₀ rigorously, it is known that possible unstable eigenvalues are confined to a certain compact region in the complex plane. As a consequence, highly reliable numerical techniques can be applied and all available results strongly suggest the nonexistence of unstable modes, i.e., the assumed mode stability of f₀. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fisher–KPP equation with advection on the half‐line

We consider the Fisher–KPP equation with advection: u_t=u_xx?βu_x+f(u) on the half‐line x∈(0,∞), with no‐flux boundary condition u_x?βu = 0 at x = 0. We study the influence of the advection coefficient ?β on the long time behavior of the solutions. We show that for any compactly supported, nonnegative initial data, (i) when β∈(0,c₀), the solution converges locally uniformly to a strictly increasing positive stationary solution, (ii) when β∈[c₀,∞), the solution converges locally uniformly to 0, here c₀ is the minimal speed of the traveling waves of the classical Fisher–KPP equation. Moreover, (i) when β > 0, the asymptotic positions of the level sets on the right side of the solution are (β + c₀)t + o(t), and (ii) when β≥c₀, the asymptotic positions of the level sets on the left side are (β ? c₀)t + o(t). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Dirichlet problem for non‐divergence parabolic equations with discontinuous in time coefficients

We consider the Dirichlet problem for non‐divergence parabolic equation with discontinuous in t coefficients in a half space. The main result is weighted coercive estimates of solutions in anisotropic Sobolev spaces. We give an application of this result to linear and quasi‐linear parabolic equations in a bounded domain. In particular, if the boundary is of class C^1,δ , δ ∈ [0, 1], then we present a coercive estimate of solutions in weighted anisotropic Sobolev spaces, where the weight is a power of the distance to the boundary (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Pattern formations of 2D Rayleigh–Bénard convection with no‐slip boundary conditions for the velocity at the critical length scales

We study the Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a 2D rectangular domain with no‐slip boundary conditions for the velocity. The main mathematical challenge is due to the no‐slip boundary conditions, because the separation of variables for the linear eigenvalue problem, which works in the free‐slip case, is no longer possible. It is well known that as the Rayleigh number crosses a critical threshold R_c, the system bifurcates to an attractor, which is an (m ? 1)‐dimensional sphere, where m is the number of eigenvalues, which cross zero as R crosses R_c. The main objective of this article is to derive a full classification of the structure of this bifurcated attractor when m = 2. More precisely, we rigorously prove that when m = 2, the bifurcated attractor is homeomorphic to a one‐dimensional circle consisting of exactly four or eight steady states and their connecting heteroclinic orbits. In addition, we show that the mixed modes can be stable steady states for small Prandtl numbers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Partial Fourier approximation of the Lamé equations in axisymmetric domains

In this paper, we study the partial Fourier method for treating the Lamé equations in three‐dimensional axisymmetric domains subjected to non‐axisymmetric loads. We consider the mixed boundary value problem of the linear theory of elasticity with the displacement û , the body force f̂ ϵ (L₂)³ and homogeneous Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The partial Fourier decomposition reduces, without any error, the three‐dimensional boundary value problem to an infinite sequence of two‐dimensional boundary value problems, whose solutions û _n (n = 0, 1, 2,…) are the Fourier coefficients of û . This process of dimension reduction is described, and appropriate function spaces are given to characterize the reduced problems in two dimensions. The trace properties of these spaces on the rotational axis and some properties of the Fourier coefficients û _n are proved, which are important for further numerical treatment, e.g. by the finite‐element method. Moreover, generalized completeness relations are described for the variational equation, the stresses and the strains. The properties of the resulting system of two‐dimensional problems are characterized. Particularly, a priori estimates of the Fourier coefficients û _n and of the error of the partial Fourier approximation are given. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On critical Fujita exponents for heat equations with nonlinear flux conditions on the boundary

We consider nonnegative solutions of initial-boundary value problems for parabolic equationsu _t=u_xx, u_t=(u^m)_xxand (m>1) forx>0,t>0 with nonlinear boundary conditions−u _x=u^p,−(u ^m)_x=u^pand forx=0,t>0, wherep>0. The initial function is assumed to be bounded, smooth and to have, in the latter two cases, compact support. We prove that for each problem there exist positive critical valuesp ₀,p_c(withp ₀<p_c)such that forp∃(0,p ₀],all solutions are global while forp∃(p₀,p_c] any solutionu≢0 blows up in a finite time and forp>p _csmall data solutions exist globally in time while large data solutions are nonglobal. We havep _c=2,p _c=m+1 andp _c=2m for each problem, whilep ₀=1,p ₀=1/2(m+1) andp ₀=2m/(m+1) respectively. This work was done during visits of the first author to Iowa State University and the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications at the University of Minnesota. The second author was supported in part by NSF Grant DMS-9102210.     

Nonexistence for a boundary value problem arising in parabolic theory

The boundary value problemc _t=c _xx−c _yy+q(t,x)c with {fx349-1} was solved by Colton [1] forq analytic int. The solution may be used for mapping solutions of the heat equation into solutions ofu _t=u _xx+q(t,x)u. Solutions (of the boundary value problem) no longer exist ifq is not analytic int. Erica and Ludwig Jesselson Professor of Theoretical Mathematics, The Weizmann Institute of Science. This research was partially supported by the Minerva Foundation.     

Existence for a time‐dependent heat equation with non‐local radiation terms

The paper deals with the time‐dependent linear heat equation with a non‐linear and non‐local boundary condition that arises when considering the radiation balance. Solutions are considered to be functions with values in V := {v ∈ H¹(Ω)∣γv ∈ L₅(∂Ω)}. As a consequence one has to work with non‐standard Sobolev spaces. The existence of solutions was proved by using a Galerkin‐based approximation scheme. Because of the non‐Hilbert character of the space V and the non‐local character of the boundary conditions, convergence of the Galerkin approximations is difficult to prove. The advantage of this approach is that we don't have to make assumptions about sub‐ and supersolutions. Finally, continuity of the solutions with respect to time is analysed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Entire solutions of the KPP equation

This paper deals with the solutions defined for all time of the KPP equation u_t = u_xx + f(u),   0 < u(x,t) < 1, (x,t) ∈ ℝ², where ƒ is a KPP‐type nonlinearity defined in [0,1]: ƒ(0) = ƒ(1) = 0, ƒ′(0) > 0, ƒ′(1) < 0, ƒ > 0 in (0,1), and ƒ′(s) ≤ ƒ′(0) in [0,1]. This equation admits infinitely many traveling‐wave‐type solutions, increasing or decreasing in x. It also admits solutions that depend only on t. In this paper, we build four other manifolds of solutions: One is 5‐dimensional, one is 4‐dimensional, and two are 3‐dimensional. Some of these new solutions are obtained by considering two traveling waves that come from both sides of the real axis and mix. Furthermore, the traveling‐wave solutions are on the boundary of these four manifolds. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the longtime behavior of a 2D hydrodynamic model for chemically reacting binary fluid mixtures

Two dimensional diffuse interface model for a chemically reacting incompressible binary fluid in a bounded domain is considered. The corresponding evolution system consists of the Navier–Stokes equations for the (averaged) fluid velocity that are nonlinearly coupled with a convective Cahn–Hilliard–Oono type equation for the difference ψ of two fluid concentrations. The effects of a (reversible) chemical reaction is represented in the latter equation by an additional term of the form ε(ψ ? c₀), ε > 0. Here, c₀ is the stationary spatial average of ψ, provided that, for example, no‐slip and no‐flux boundary conditions are considered. The mass is not necessarily conserved unless the spatial average of the initial datum for ψ coincides with c₀. When ε = 0 (i.e., no chemical reaction), the model reduces to the well‐known Cahn–Hilliard–Navier–Stokes system, which has been investigated by several authors. Here, we want to show that the global dynamic behavior of the system is robust with respect to ε. More precisely, we construct a family of exponential attractors, which is continuous with respect to ε. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trading crossings for handles and crosscaps

Let c_k = cr_k (G) denote the minimum number of edge crossings when a graph G is drawn on an orientable surface of genus k. The (orientable) crossing sequence c_o, c₁,c₂…encodes the trade‐off between adding handles and decreasing crossings. We focus on sequences of the type c_o > c₁ > c₂ = 0; equivalently, we study the planar and toroidal crossing number of doubly‐toroidal graphs. For every ? > 0 we construct graphs whose orientable crossing sequence satisfies c₁/c_o > 5/6??. In other words, we construct graphs where the addition of one handle can save roughly 1/6th of the crossings, but the addition of a second handle can save five times more crossings. We similarly define the non‐orientable crossing sequence ?₀,?₁,?₂, ··· for drawings on non‐orientable surfaces. We show that for every ?₀ > ?₁ > 0 there exists a graph with non‐orientable crossing sequence ?₀, ?₁, 0. We conjecture that every strictly‐decreasing sequence of non‐negative integers can be both an orientable crossing sequence and a non‐orientable crossing sequence (with different graphs). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 38: 230–243, 2001     

Constructing orthogonal pandiagonal Latin squares and panmagic squares from modular n‐queens solutions

In this article, we show how to construct pairs of orthogonal pandiagonal Latin squares and panmagic squares from certain types of modular n‐queens solutions. We prove that when these modular n‐queens solutions are symmetric, the panmagic squares thus constructed will be associative, where for an n × n associative magic square A = (a_ij), for all i and j it holds that a_ij + an?i?1,n?j?1 = c for a fixed c. We further show how to construct orthogonal Latin squares whose modular difference diagonals are Latin from any modular n‐queens solution. As well, we analyze constructing orthogonal pandiagonal Latin squares from particular classes of non‐linear modular n‐queens solutions. These pandiagonal Latin squares are not row cyclic, giving a partial solution to a problem of Hedayat. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 15: 221–234, 2007     

Existence and asymptotic behaviour of solutions for a class of quasi‐linear evolution equations with non‐linear damping and source terms

We consider a class of quasi‐linear evolution equations with non‐linear damping and source terms arising from the models of non‐linear viscoelasticity. By a Galerkin approximation scheme combined with the potential well method we prove that when m<p, where m(?0) and p are, respectively, the growth orders of the non‐linear strain terms and the source term, under appropriate conditions, the initial boundary value problem of the above‐mentioned equations admits global weak solutions and the solutions decay to zero as t→∞. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The lower bounds of life span of classical solutions to one‐dimensional initial‐Neumann boundary value problems for general quasilinear wave equations

In this paper, we will study the lower bounds of the life span (the maximal existence time) of solutions to the initial‐boundary value problems with small initial data and zero Neumann boundary data on exterior domain for one‐dimensional general quasilinear wave equations u_tt?u_xx=b(u,Du)u_xx+F(u,Du). Our lower bounds of the life span of solutions in the general case and special case are shorter than that of the initial‐Dirichlet boundary value problem for one‐dimensional general quasilinear wave equations. We clarify that although the lower bounds in this paper are same as that in the case of Robin boundary conditions obtained in the earlier paper, however, the results in this paper are not the trivial generalization of that in the case of Robin boundary conditions because the fundamental Lemmas 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7, that is, the priori estimates of solutions to initial‐boundary value problems with Neumann boundary conditions, are established differently, and then the specific estimates in this paper are different from that in the case of Robin boundary conditions. Another motivation for the author to write this paper is to show that the well‐posedness of problem 1.1 is the essential precondition of studying the lower bounds of life span of classical solutions to initial‐boundary value problems for general quasilinear wave equations. The lower bound estimates of life span of classical solutions to initial‐boundary value problems is consistent with the actual physical meaning. Finally, we obtain the sharpness on the lower bound of the life span 1.8 in the general case and 1.10 in the special case. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The elastic echo problem

We consider a homogeneous isotropic unbounded linear elastic medium Ω??³, having a free boundary Γ. A forcing f (t, x ) creates an incident displacement field u ₀(t, x ). This primary field is scattered by Γ giving rise to a secondary field or echo, for which we determine the asymptotic behaviour in time. These results are obtained via the use of an tension of the time‐dependent scattering theory of C. Wilcox. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Traveling waves for a four-compartment lattice epidemic system with exposed class and standard incidence

This paper is considering the problem of traveling wave solutions (TWS) for a susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) epidemic model with discrete diffusion. The threshold condition for the existence and nonexistence of TWS is obtained. More specifically, such kind of solutions are governed by the threshold number ?₀. We can find a critical wave speed c^? if ?₀ > 1, by employing the Schauder's fixed point theorem, limiting argument and two-sided Laplace transform, we confirm that there exists TWS for c > c^?, while there exists no TWS for c < c^?. We also obtain the nonexistence of TWS for ?₀ ≤ 1. At last, we give some biological explanations from the epidemiological perspective.     

Justification of the Ginzburg–Landau approximation for an instability as it appears for Marangoni convection

The Ginzburg–Landau equation appears as a universal amplitude equation for spatially extended pattern forming systems close to the first instability. It can be derived via multiple scaling analysis for the Marangoni convection problem that is driven by temperature‐dependent surface tension and is the subject of our interest. In this paper, we prove estimates between this formal approximation and true solutions of a scalar pattern forming model problem showing the same spectral picture as the Marangoni convection problem in case of a thin fluid. The new difficulties come from neutral modes touching the imaginary axis for the wave number k = 0 and from identical group velocities at the critical wave number k = k_c and the wave number k = 0. The problem is solved by using the reflection symmetry of the system and by using the fact that the modes concentrate at integer multiples of the critical wave number k = k_c. The paper presents a method that is applicable whenever this kind of instability occurs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.