Wave equations with memory: the minimal state approach (Q719597)

Based on earlier research, in [\textit{M. Fabrizio, C. Giorgi} and \textit{V. Pata}, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 198, No. 1, 189--232 (2010; Zbl 1245.45010)], the concept of minimal state has been presented, and an alternative approach to the classical one, for the study of equations with memory, has been developed. In the present paper the minimal state technique is applied to study the asymptotic behavior of a hyperbolic nonlinear equation with memory arising in the theory of isothermal viscoelasticity. Under some specific assumptions on the memory kernel and nonlinearities, the existence of a global attractor of the semigroup associated to the model is proven. For the proof, some compactness results and the construction of suitable functionals are needed.