Decay properties of solutions toward a multiwave pattern to the Cauchy problem for the scalar conservation law with degenerate flux and viscosity (Q2407137)

The author studies a scalar viscous conservation law in one space dimension of the form \[ u_t + f(u)_x = \mu \left( |u_x|^{p-1} u_x \right)_x \] with a viscosity of Ostwald-de Waele type motivated by models of non-Newtonian fluids. In particular, the author is interested in solutions of the Cauchy problem with a prescribed far-field behaviour \(\lim\limits_{x\to\pm\infty} u(t,x)=u_\pm\). The flux is assumed to have the special structure that \(f''(u)>0\) outside some finite interval \((a,b)\) while \(f''(u)=0\) on \((a,b)\), i.e. the flux is linearly degenerate on \((a,b)\) and genuinely nonlinear outside. This implies that for the hyperbolic limit \(\mu=0\) and for \(a< u_- < b < u_+\) or \(u_- < a < b < u_+\) the Riemann problem with left state \(u_-\) and right state \(u_+\) possesses a solution consisting of a contact discontinuity and a rarefaction wave. Since Yoshida had already proved in a previous article how the viscous analogue of this wave pattern can be constructed for non-vanishing Ostwald-de Waele type viscosity, she now establishes time-decay estimates for the unique global solution to any initial condition \(u_0\) that is sufficiently close to the multiwave pattern solution \(u_0^R\). Assuming that \(u_0-u_0^R\in L^2\) and \(\partial_x u_0 \in L^{p+1}\), she obtains time-decay estimates in \(L^q\) for \(2\leq q \leq \infty\). If in addition \(u_0-u_0^R\in L^1\) is integrable, time-decay estimates hold already in \(L^q\) with \(q>1\). Decay estimates for the derivative are also given. The proofs use weighted energy methods together with a precise information on the viscous contact and rarefaction wave with Ostwald-de Waele viscosity and the interaction of the different waves.