Weighted energy methods in fluid dynamics and elasticity (Q1070914)

This book consists of two unequal parts based mainly on the authors' important contributions to a study of some mathematical problems in fluid and solid mechanics in unbounded domains. Before proceeding to the presentation of stability problems of viscous incompressible fluids in unbounded domains, the basic concepts related to nonlinear and linearized stability methods for bounded domains are introduced in a lucid manner in chapter I. The next three chapters deal mainly with problems of stability of incompressible flows in unbounded domains. Domains considered are the half-space and exterior domains. The procedure adopted for both these cases is similar. Firstly, the properly chosen weighted Poincaré inequality is formulated and proved. Next, for a class of admissible perturbations of velocity and pressure two universal stability criteria are formulated and discussed. The results concerning asymptotic stability are also given. For the half-space, the universal stability criteria are more weaker than the corresponding conditions holding for a bounded domain. However, better stability conditions can be obtained, at least in the case of periodic perturbations, by solving of a suitably defined maximization problem. In the case of exterior domains it is shown that the energy stability can be reduced to solving of an appropriate extremum (maximization) problem. Among some properties of steady flows in exterior domains studied by the authors the most remarkable seems to be the following one. Namely in a suitably chosen space of solutions, the study of uniqueness can be reduced to a finite-dimensional problem. Chapter V is concerned with the following initial value problem posed on a Hilbert space H with the norm \(\| \cdot \|:\quad (1)\quad F(u)=u_ t+Lu+N(u)=0,\quad u(0)=u_ 0\). Here L, N are linear and nonlinear operators, respectively, satisfying some additional conditions. Suppose that not necessarily real eigenvalues of L are ordered as follows \(re(\sigma_ 1)\leq re(\sigma_ 2)\leq....\). Then the null solution of (1) is said to be linearly stable if \(re(\sigma_ 1)>0\). Further, the null solution of (1) is said to be nonlinearly stable if \(\forall \epsilon >0\exists \delta (\epsilon)>0\) such that \(\| u_ 0\| <\delta \Rightarrow \| u(t)\| <\epsilon.\) The main theorems concern the relations between linear and nonlinear stability, including asymptotic stability. Several interesting applications of the considered theorems are given (Bénard problem, Couette flow, bio-convection, diffusion equation). The last chapter of the first part of the book deals with the equation \(F(u)+\mu Au=0,\quad u(0)=u_ 0\) where A is a skew-symmetric operator. The main result states that \(\mu\) A has always a nondestabilizing influence, \(\mu\) is a positive parameter. This result is applied to the hydromagnetic Bénard problem. The second part of the book is concerned with selected topics of linear and nonlinear elasticity in unbounded domains. Methods used for bounded domains are in general not applicable for unbounded domains. To deal with boundary and initial-boundary value problems for unbounded elastic solids the authors develop the weighted energy methods. The weight function g is, similarly as in the first part, usually of the exponential type, like say \(g=\exp (-\alpha r),\quad \alpha >0,r=| x|\). Under appropriate assumptions on the data, unbounded domains and elasticity tensor the uniqueness theorems are examined in the case of linear elastostatics and elastodynamics. The Saint-Venant principle is also concisely discussed. The title of the section 7.4 ''Asymptotic behavior in the nonlinear elastic beam'' is misleading since not the nonlinear beam is studied but the semi-infinite cylinder. As a reader of the book I regret that existence problems are omitted, at least as elasticity is concerned. For instance, for bounded domains the Lax-Milgram theorem imposes more stringent restrictions on elasticity tensor than those required by uniqueness alone. This book is typical for books appearing in the series ''Lecture Notes''. Thus proofs of theorems are often only sketched. Also the list of references is far from being complete, particularly in the second part of the book. On the other hand many open problems are suggested. Despite its incompleteness I strongly recommend the book to researchers in mathematical problems of fluid mechanics and elasticity.