Heat flow of \(p\)-harmonic maps with values into spheres (Q1323417)

Let \(M\) be a compact Riemannian manifold without boundary with metric \(g\). We consider the deformation of a given map \(u_ 0: M\to S^ n\subset \mathbb{R}{n+1}\) under the heat flow related to the energy \(E(u)= \int_ M {1\over p} (g^{\alpha\beta} {{\partial u^ i}\over {\partial x^ \alpha}} {{\partial u^ i} \over {\partial x^ \beta}})^{p/2} dM\), i.e. we study the following evolution problem: \[ \begin{cases} \partial_ tu+\Delta_{M,p} u= |\nabla u|^ p u\quad &\text{in } M\times \mathbb{R}_ +\\ u(\cdot,0)= u_ 0 &\text{on } M\\ | u(x,t)|=1 &\text{a.e. on } M\times \mathbb{R}_ + \end{cases} \tag{*} \] where \[ \Delta_{M,p} u=- {1\over {\sqrt{g}}} {\partial \over {\partial x^ \alpha}} \left(\left( g^{\rho\sigma} {{\partial u^ i}\over {\partial x^ \rho}} {{\partial u^ i} \over {\partial x^ \sigma}} \right)^{(p/2)-1} \sqrt{g} g^{\alpha\beta} {{\partial u} \over {\partial x^ \beta}} \right) \] is the \(p\)-Laplace operator on \(M\). We show the existence of a global weak solution of (*) by using Galerkin's method for the penalized energy \(E_ k(u)= E(u)+ {k\over {4\alpha}} \int_ M | u^ 2-1|^{2\alpha} dM\), Minty's trick, a compactness result and a maximum principle for the solutions of the penalized equations.