A class of inverse problems for nonlinear parabolic equations (Q1093097)

The author investigates the following inverse problem for a nonlinear parabolic equation: to determine \(n+2\) functions (u,v,q) \((q=(q_ 1,...,q_ n))\) such that \[ (1)\quad u_ t(x,t)=F(u_{xx}(x,t),u_ x(x,t),u(x,t),q(u(x,t)),x,t)\quad (x,t)\in Q=(0,1)\times (0,T); \] \[ (2)\quad u(x,0)=f(x),\quad x\in [0,1];\quad (3)\quad u(0,t)=g(t),\quad t\in [0,T]; \] \[ (4)\quad u(x_ i,t)=h_ i(t),\quad t\in [0,T],\quad i=0,...,n;\quad (5)\quad u(1,t)=v(t),\quad t\in [0,T]. \] Here \(x_ 0<x_ 1<...<x_ n\) are \(n+1\) assigned points interior to the interval (0,1). Consider then the class of solutions to (1)-(5) satisfying the properties: i) \(u\in C^{4,2}(\bar Q)\); ii) \(u_ x(x,t)\geq u_ 0>0\), \(\forall (x,t)\in \bar Q\); iii) \(u_ t(x,t)\geq u_ 0>0\), \(\forall (x,t)\in \bar Q\). Assume moreover that data f and \(h_ 1\) are increasing and satisfy the inequality \(\alpha_ 1=f(1)<g_ 1(T)=\alpha_ 2\). Suppose finally that q is known in the interval \([\alpha_ 0,\alpha_ 1]\) \((\alpha_ 0=f(0)).\) The author shows that, under additional requirements involving the gradient of F with respect to q, problem (1)-(5) admits at most one solution (u,v,q), when u is restricted to a suitable (uniquely determined) subdomain \(D\subset Q\). These results are generalized to the case when \(u_ t\) in (1) is replaced by \(c(u)u_ t\), c being a new unknown function, provided that we add the following information: \[ (6)\quad u(x_{n+1},t)=h_{n+1}(t),\quad t\in [0,T]\quad (x_ n<x_{n+1}<1). \] Some interesting applications are given in the case \(c(u)u_ t=(a(u)u_ x)_ x+b(u)\), when any two of the functions a, b, c are assumed to be known.