Regularity, local behavior and partial uniqueness for self-similar profiles of Smoluchowski's coagulation equation (Q643325): Difference between revisions

The paper is concerned with the analysis of the Smoluchowski equation which models irreversible processes of aggregation of particles in clusters. The authors consider a continuum setting, where the size \(y\) of the cluster may be any positive number, and assume a homogeneous kernel depending on two parameters \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\), subjected to some limitations. It is proved that the self-similar solutions are infinitely differentiable and sharp results on the behaviour of the self-similar profiles at \(y = 0\) are given in the case \(\alpha < 0\). Moreover, partial uniqueness results are presented. In particular, when \(\alpha = 0\), it is proved that two profiles with same mass and same momentum of order \(\alpha + \beta\) are necessarily equal, while when \(\alpha < 0\), it is proved that two profiles with the same moments of order \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\) and with the same asymptotic behaviour at \(y=0\) are equal. The proofs are based on a distributional representation of the coagulation operator along with estimates of its regularity by using the theory of the derivatives of fractional order.