On traffic flow with nonlocal flux: a relaxation representation (Q2190725)

This paper deals with a nonlocal PDE model for traffic flow, where the traffic density \(\rho = \rho(t, x)\) satisfies a scalar conservation law with nonlocal flux \[ \rho_t + (\rho v(q))_x =0,\qquad q(t,x)=\int_0^\infty w(s)\rho(t,x+s)ds,\qquad \qquad (1) \] where \(v\) and \(w\) are decreasing function and \[ \int_0^\infty w(s)ds=1. \] In particular the authors study the aper is to study the limit behavior of solutions to (1), for the averaging kernel \[ w_\varepsilon(s) = \frac{1}{\varepsilon} e^{-s/\varepsilon},\] as \(\varepsilon \to 0\). They first show that (1) can be treated as a \(2 \times\) 2 system with relaxation, in a suitable coordinate system. This formulation allows them to obtain a uniform bound on the total variation, independent of \(\varepsilon\). As \(\varepsilon \to 0\) yields the convergence \(\rho_\varepsilon \to\rho\) in \(L^1\) where \(\rho\) is a weak solution of \[ \rho_t + (\rho v(\rho))_x =0.\qquad \qquad(2) \] Finally, if \(v(\rho) = a-b\rho\), they prove that the limit solution \(\rho\) coincides with the unique entropy weak solution of (2).