The principle of linearized stability of a class of degenerate diffusion equations (Q1070116)

The authors deal with the quasilinear parabolic problem \[ (\beta (v))_ t=\Delta v+f(v)\quad in\quad \Omega \times R^+,\quad v=0\quad in\quad \partial \Omega \times R^+,\quad v=v_ 0\quad in\quad \Omega \times \{0\}, \] where, among some minor technical hypotheses, \(\beta\) is smooth, increasing for positive arguments, and \(\beta\) '(0) is infinite - so that the problem is degenerate at \(v=0\). Given a stationary solution \(v^*\), that is, \[ \Delta v^*+f(v^*)=0\quad in\quad \Omega,\quad v^*=0\quad on\quad \partial \Omega, \] they consider the associated eigenvalue problem \[ -\Delta w=f'(v^*)w+\beta '(v^*)w\quad in\quad \Omega,\quad w=0\quad on\quad \partial \Omega, \] which they prove to possess a discrete spectrum of eigenvalues: \(\lambda_ 1<\lambda_ 2\leq \lambda_ 3\leq \cdots.\) They show that a principle of linearized stability holds, namely they prove that if \(\lambda_ 1>0\) and \(v^*- v_ 0\) is small in the \(L^{\infty}\)-norm, then, for any \(t>T\) \[ | v(x,t;v_ 0)-v^*(x)| \leq Ce^{-\lambda_ 1t} e(x), \] for suitable positive constants T, C and for a (positive) function e(x). The proof requires a number of steps, which the authors carry out in a detailed and careful way. A full (self-contained) section is devoted to eigenvalue problems generalizing that mentioned above: they are singular, in the sense that their coefficients are allowed to blow up at the boundary. Applications of the established principle of linearized stability are discussed for the porous media equation with absorption.