The zero relaxation limit for the hydrodynamic Whitham traffic flow model (Q1377546)

The authors analyze the relaxation of the weak solutions to the following hyperbolic system of balance laws: \[ \rho_t +m_x=0,\;m_t +\bigl[m^2/ \rho+p (\rho)\bigr]_x = \tau^{-1} \bigl[Q (\rho)- m\bigr], \] where \(p=h \rho^\gamma\), \(1<\gamma <3\), \(h= (\gamma-1)^2/4 \gamma\), \(Q=a \rho (1-\rho)\), \(a>0\) and the initial data are taken in \(L^\infty (\mathbb{R})\). The system models the traffic flow. This kind of models has been introduced by Whitham, 1974. The strong convergence to the equilibrium solution satisfying Kružkov-type entropy conditions is shown provided that the relaxation parameter tends to zero away from the vacuum. Fundamental \(L^\infty\) estimates are obtained by using special geometry of the graph of \(Q(\rho)\) and also the theory of invariant regions. It is derived a special energy estimate which puts into evidence the dissipative nature of the relaxation process and provides the rate of convergence toward the equilibrium as \(\tau \to 0\). The estimate is obtained under entropy conditions and by vanishing artificial viscosity. A consequence of these estimates is the existence of weak entropy solutions to the full hydrodynamic model for any \(\tau>0\).