Convergence rates for the Allen-Cahn equation with boundary contact energy: the non-perturbative regime (Q2674622)

Consider the mean curvature flow of an interface lying in a bounded domain \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^d\) such that the interface intersects the domain boundary \(\partial\Omega\) at a constant angle \(\alpha\in (0,\pi)\). This flow can be represented as an \(L^2\)-gradient flow of a suitable energy functional with two contributions: an interfacial energy in the interior of \(\Omega\), and a surface energy along \(\partial\Omega\). In general, an interface evolving under this flow undergoes changes in topology and develops geometric singularities. This makes the study of the global dynamics difficult in the context of parametrized surfaces with boundary. A common approach to study this kind of problem is to introduce an order parameter \(u\) which takes values close to \(\pm 1\) on opposite sides of the interface, while the interface is represented by the region in which the order parameter undergoes a transition between these two values. This approximating problem can be modeled by the standard Cahn-Hilliard energy associated with a double well potential \(W\) for the interior contribution, coupled with a boundary contact energy density \(\sigma\). This leads to the following Ansatz for the total energy functional of the order parameter: \[ E_\varepsilon [u] = \int_\Omega \left( \frac{\varepsilon}{2} |\nabla u|^2 + \frac{1}{\varepsilon} W(u) \right) dx + \int_{\partial\Omega} \sigma(u)\, d\mathcal{H}^{d-1}. \] The associated (\(\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\)-accelerated) \(L^2\)-gradient flow leads to the standard Allen-Cahn equation: \[ \partial_t u_\varepsilon = \Delta u_\varepsilon - \frac{1}{\varepsilon^2} W'(u_\varepsilon) \quad\mbox{in}\quad \Omega\times(0,T), \qquad u_\varepsilon|_{t=0} = u_{\varepsilon,0} \quad\mbox{in}\quad\Omega \tag{1} \] coupled with a nonlinear Robin boundary condition \[ (n_{\partial\Omega}\cdot \nabla)u_\varepsilon = \frac{1}{\varepsilon} \sigma'(u_\varepsilon) \quad\mbox{on}\quad \partial\Omega\times(0,T), \tag{2} \] where \(n_{\partial\Omega}\) denotes the inner unit normal vector field to \(\partial\Omega\). Recently \textit{H. Abels} and \textit{M. Moser} [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 54, No. 1, 114--172 (2022; Zbl 1485.35020)] proved rigorous convergence results (for \(d=2\)) for solutions of Equations (1) and (2) towards the mean curvature flow with constant contact angle close to \(\pi/2\), under the assumption the latter problem has a smooth solution on some time interval \((0,T_0)\). Here the authors remove the restriction on the contact angle being close to \(\pi/2\). Under standard double well assumptions on \(W\) and for a certain class of boundary energy densities \(\sigma\) they prove the sub-optimal convergence rate of order \(\varepsilon^{1/2}\) for general contact angles \(\alpha\in (0,\pi)\). In addition, for a very specific form of the boundary energy density they obtain a sharp convergence rate of order \(\varepsilon\), again for \(\alpha\in (0,\pi)\). Instead of using the popular strategy of rigorous asymptotic expansions and stability estimates for the linearized Allen-Cahn operator, they adapt a recent approach of \textit{J. Fischer} et al. [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 52, No. 6, 6222--6233 (2020; Zbl 1454.53079)] based on a relative entropy technique. They also use the notion of gradient flow calibrations introduced recently by \textit{J. Fischer} et al. [``The local structure of the energy landscape in multiphase mean curvature flow: weak-strong uniqueness and stability of evolutions'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2003.05478}].