Carleman estimates and null controllability for boundary-degenerate parabolic operators

Motivated by several examples coming from physics, biology, and economics, we consider a class of parabolic operators that degenerate at the boundary of the space domain. We study null controllability by a locally distributed control. For this purpose, a specific Carleman estimate for the solutions of degenerate adjoint problems is proved. To cite this article: P. Cannarsa et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 347 (2009).     

Carleman estimates for degenerate parabolic operators with applications to null controllability

We prove an estimate of Carleman type for the one dimensional heat equation $$ u_t - \left( {a\left( x \right)u_x } \right)_x + c\left( {t,x} \right)u = h\left( {t,x} \right),\quad \left( {t,x} \right) \in \left( {0,T} \right) \times \left( {0,1} \right), $$ where a(·) is degenerate at 0. Such an estimate is derived for a special pseudo-convex weight function related to the degeneracy rate of a(·). Then, we study the null controllability on [0, 1] of the semilinear degenerate parabolic equation $$ u_t - \left( {a\left( x \right)u_x } \right)_x + f\left( {t,x,u} \right) = h\left( {t,x} \right)\chi _\omega \left( x \right), $$ where (t, x) ∈(0, T) × (0, 1), ω=(α, β) ⊂⊂ [0, 1], and f is locally Lipschitz with respect to u. Dedicated to Giuseppe Da Prato on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

Carleman estimates for semi-discrete parabolic operators and application to the controllability of semi-linear semi-discrete parabolic equations

In arbitrary dimension, in the discrete setting of finite-differences we prove a Carleman estimate for a semi-discrete parabolic operator, in which the large parameter is connected to the mesh size. This estimate is applied for the derivation of a (relaxed) observability estimate, that yield some controlability results for semi-linear semi-discrete parabolic equations. Sub-linear and super-linear cases are considered.     

Carleman estimates and inverse problems for Dirac operators

We consider limiting Carleman weights for Dirac operators and prove corresponding Carleman estimates. In particular, we show that limiting Carleman weights for the Laplacian also serve as limiting weights for Dirac operators. As an application we consider the inverse problem of recovering a Lipschitz continuous magnetic field and electric potential from boundary measurements for the Pauli Dirac operator. M. Salo is supported by the Academy of Finland. L. Tzou is supported by the Doctoral Post-Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada. This article was written while L. Tzou was visiting the University of Helsinki and TKK, whose hospitality is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would like to thank András Vasy and Lauri Ylinen for useful comments.     

Carleman inequality for backward stochastic parabolic equations with general coefficients

In this Note, we present a Carleman inequality for linear backward stochastic parabolic equations (BSPEs) with general coefficients, and its applications in the observability of BSPEs, and in the null controllability of forward stochastic parabolic equations with general coefficients. To cite this article: S. Tang, X. Zhang, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 339 (2004).     

Carleman estimates for parabolic equations with interior degeneracy and Neumann boundary conditions

Density of Lipschitz functions in Newtonian spaces based on quasi-Banach function lattices is discussed. Newtonian spaces are first-order Sobolevtype spaces on abstract metric measure spaces defined via (weak) upper gradients. Our main focus lies on metric spaces with a doubling measure that support a Poincaré inequality. Absolute continuity of the function lattice quasi-norm is shown to be crucial for approximability by (locally) Lipschitz functions. The proof of the density result uses, among other facts, the fact that a suitable maximal operator is locally weakly bounded. In particular, various sufficient conditions for such boundedness on quasi-Banach function lattices (and rearrangement-invariant spaces, in particular) are established and applied.     

Cores for parabolic operators with unbounded coefficients

Let be a family of elliptic differential operators with unbounded coefficients defined in RN+1. In [M. Kunze, L. Lorenzi, A. Lunardi, Nonautonomous Kolmogorov parabolic equations with unbounded coefficients, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., in press], under suitable assumptions, it has been proved that the operator G:=A−Ds generates a semigroup of positive contractions (Tp(t)) in Lp(RN+1,ν) for every 1?p<+∞, where ν is an infinitesimally invariant measure of (Tp(t)). Here, under some additional conditions on the growth of the coefficients of A, which cover also some growths with an exponential rate at ∞, we provide two different cores for the infinitesimal generator Gp of (Tp(t)) in Lp(RN+1,ν) for p∈[1,+∞), and we also give a partial characterization of D(Gp). Finally, we extend the results so far obtained to the case when the coefficients of the operator A are T-periodic with respect to the variable s for some T>0.     

Carleman estimates for stochastic parabolic equations with Neumann boundary conditions and applications

By a dual method, two Carleman estimates for forward and backward stochastic parabolic equations with Neumann boundary conditions are established. Then they are used to study a null controllability problem and a state observation problem for some stochastic forward parabolic equations with Neumann boundary conditions.     

Local estimates and global existence for strongly nonlinear parabolic equations with locally integrable data

We obtain existence results for some strongly nonlinear Cauchy problems posed in and having merely locally integrable data. The equations we deal with have as principal part a bounded, coercive and pseudomonotone operator of Leray-Lions type acting on , they contain absorbing zero order terms and possibly include first order terms with natural growth. For any p > 1 and under optimal growth conditions on the zero order terms, we derive suitable local a-priori estimates and consequent global existence results.     

Local a priori estimates in Lp for first order linear operators with nonsmooth coefficients

We prove local a priori estimates inL ^p , 1<p<∞, for first-order linear operators that satisfy the Nirenberg-Treves condition (p) and whose coefficients have Lipschitz continuous derivatives of order one. When the number of variables is two, only Lipschitz continuity of the coefficients is assumed. This extends toL ^p spaces estimates that were previously known forp=2. Examples show that the regularity required from the coefficients is essentially minimal. Research partially supported by CNPq.     

Continuous dependence for backward parabolic operators with Log-Lipschitz coefficients

We prove continuous dependence on Cauchy data for a backward parabolic operator whose coefficients are Log-Lipschitz continuous in time.     

Energy estimates for regularly hyperbolic operators with log-Lipschitz coefficients

Using the method of Colombini–Lerner, we derive the energy estimates for regularly hyperbolic equations with log-Lipschitz coefficients.     

Strichartz estimates for parabolic equations with higher order differential operators

The present paper first obtains Strichartz estimates for parabolic equations with nonnegative elliptic operators of order 2m by using both the abstract Strichartz estimates of Keel-Tao and the Hardy-LittlewoodSobolev inequality. Some conclusions can be viewed as the improvements of the previously known ones. Furthermore, an endpoint homogeneous Strichartz estimates on BMOx(Rn) and a parabolic homogeneous Strichartz estimate are proved. Meanwhile, the Strichartz estimates to the Sobolev spaces and Besov spaces are generalized. Secondly, the local well-posedness and small global well-posedness of the Cauchy problem for the semilinear parabolic equations with elliptic operators of order 2m, which has a potential V(t, x) satisfying appropriate integrable conditions, are established. Finally, the local and global existence and uniqueness of regular solutions in spatial variables for the higher order elliptic Navier-Stokes system with initial data in Lr(Rn) is proved.     

Estimates of the derivatives for parabolic operators with unbounded coefficients

We consider a class of second-order uniformly elliptic operators with unbounded coefficients in . Using a Bernstein approach we provide several uniform estimates for the semigroup generated by the realization of the operator in the space of all bounded and continuous or Hölder continuous functions in . As a consequence, we obtain optimal Schauder estimates for the solution to both the elliptic equation (0$">) and the nonhomogeneous Dirichlet Cauchy problem . Then, we prove two different kinds of pointwise estimates of that can be used to prove a Liouville-type theorem. Finally, we provide sharp estimates of the semigroup in weighted -spaces related to the invariant measure associated with the semigroup.