Neck pinching dynamics under mean curvature flow (Q1032603)

The authors are interested to find solutions of the following boundary value problem: \[ \begin{aligned} &\text{(mean curvature flow equation): }\qquad\qquad u_t=\frac{u_{xx}^2}{1+(u_x)^2}-\frac{d-1}{u} \\ &\text{(boundary conditions): }\qquad\qquad \left\{\begin{aligned} &u(x,0)=u_0(x)>0,\;\forall x\in{\mathbb R}\\ &\liminf_{|x|\to\infty} u_0(x)>0\\ &\| \frac{1}{u(x,t)}\|_\infty<\infty, t<t^*\\ &\|\frac{1}{u(x,t)}\|_\infty\to\infty, t\to t^* \end{aligned}\right. . \end{aligned} \tag{\(\clubsuit\)} \] They call such solutions \textit{collapsing} (or \textit{neckpinching}) at the time \(t^*\). The main result of this paper is some conditions under which such solutions exist. The method used is standard in functional analysis. The differential equation in \((\clubsuit)\) encodes the mean curvature flow of an initial hypersurface \(M_0\subset {\mathbb R}^{d+1}\), that is of revolution around the axis \(x=x_{d+1}\). The function \(u(x,t)\) is, at fixed \(t\), the ``distance function'' of the revolution hypersurface from the revolution axis at \(x\in{\mathbb R}\). So solutions of the above boundary value problem are those that in finite time collapse on the revolution axis. Remark. It is interesting to emphasize that translating the above problem to the framework of the geometry of PDE's, the considered equation identifies a real analytic \(7\)-dimensional submanifold \(E_2\) of the \(2\)-jet-derivative space \(J{\mathcal D}^2(W)\cong {\mathbb R}^8\), \((t,x,u,u_t,u_x,u_{tt}, u_{tx},u_{xx})\), over the trivial vector bundle \(\pi:W\equiv {\mathbb R}^3\to {\mathbb R}^2\), \((t,x,u)\mapsto (t,x)\). One has \(E_2\cap S_2=\emptyset\), where \(S_2\subset J{\mathcal D}^2(W)\) is the analytic submanifold defined by the constraint \(u=0\). So, a solution \(V_\bullet\subset E_2\), such that \(u(x,t^*)=0\), at time \(t^*\) cannot exist. However, this does not exclude that by considering the \textit{singular equation} \({}^\bullet E_2\equiv E_2\bigcup S_2\subset J{\mathcal D}^2(W) \), we can find \textit{asymptotic solutions} of the above problem. This is in fact the case when \(S_2\) is endowed with the distribution obtained from the Cartan distribution of \(J{\mathcal D}^2(W)\), just restricted on \(S_2\). Then, one can see that one can find solutions of \(E_2\) that approach integral manifolds of \(S_2\), when \(u\to 0\). The tangent space to such solutions have zero time component in the soldering points. This just means that such solutions stop (or collapse), in a finite time \(t^*\), to the revolution axis. [For informations on this geometric approach to singular PDE's see works quoted below. [1] [\textit{A. Prástaro}, Quantized Partial Differential Equations. (Singapore): World Scientific. (2004; Zbl 1067.58022)]. [2] [\textit{R. Agarwal} and \textit{A. Prástaro}, J. Nonlinear Convex Anal. 9, No. 3, 417--460 (2008; Zbl 1171.35006)]. [3] [\textit{R. Agarwal} and \textit{A. Prástaro}, Appl. Anal. 88, No. 8, 1115--1131 (2009; Zbl 1180.35012)]. [4] [\textit{A. Prástaro}, Extended crystal PDE's, \url{arXiv: 0811.3693}] [5] [\textit{A. Prástaro}, Quantum extended crystal super PDE's, \url{arXiv:0906.1363v3}].