Evolution equations generated by subdifferentials in the dual space of \((H^1(\Omega))\) (Q1576833)

The authors investigate the nonlinear parabolic problem of the form \(u_t-\Delta \tilde u = f(x,t),\;\tilde u\in \beta (u)\;\text{in} Q=\Omega\times (0,T);\;\dfrac {\partial \tilde u}{\partial n} + n_0\tilde u = h(x,t)\;\text{on} \Sigma:=\Gamma\times (0,T),\) where \(0<T<+\infty,\;\Omega\) is a bounded domain in \(\mathbb{R}^N\) with smooth boundary \(\Gamma;\;\beta\) is a maximal monotone graph in \(\mathbb{R}\times \mathbb{R},\;n_0>0.\) The above problem is compared with the subdifferential formulation \(u'(t)+\partial_*\varphi(u(t)\ni l(t)\) in \(V^*,\;0<t<T,\;\) where \(V=H^1(\Omega),\;V^*\) is its dual space, \(\;l\in L^2(0,T;V^*)\) is given by \(\;\langle l(t),z\rangle:=(f(t),z)+(h(t),z)_\Gamma,\;z\in V,\;\text{a.e.} t\in [0,T]\), and \(\varphi\) is the lower-semi-continuous regularization on \(V^*\) of the function \(\varphi_0\) defined by \(\quad \varphi_0(z):=\int_\Omega \tilde \beta(z)dx\;\text{if} \tilde \beta(z)\in L^1(\Omega);\;\varphi_0(z)=+\infty\;\) otherwise, and \(\tilde \beta\) is a proper l.s.c. convex function on \(\mathbb{R}\) whose subdifferential coincides with \(\beta\) in \(\mathbb{R}.\) The main contribution of the paper is the fact that the subdifferential operator approach is possible for any maximal monotone graph \(\beta\) without any growth condition.