The stability of rarefaction wave for Navier–Stokes equations in the half‐line

This paper studies the stability of the rarefaction wave for Navier–Stokes equations in the half‐line without any smallness condition. When the boundary value is given for velocity u∥_{x = 0} = u_? and the initial data have the state (v₊, u₊) at x→ + ∞, if u_?<u₊, it is excepted that there exists a solution of Navier–Stokes equations in the half‐line, which behaves as a 2‐rarefaction wave as t→ + ∞. Matsumura–Nishihara have proved it for barotropic viscous flow (Quart. Appl. Math. 2000; 58:69–83). Here, we generalize it to the isentropic flow with more general pressure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.