Global smooth solutions to the Cauchy problem of nonlinear thermoelastic equations with dissipation (Q1121439)

Consider the existence of global smooth solutions of the Cauchy problem for nonlinear thermoelastic equations with dissipation (1) \[ \partial u_ 1/\partial t-\partial u_ 2/\partial x=0;\quad \partial u_ 2/\partial t-a(u_ 1,v)\partial u_ 1/\partial x+b(u_ 1,v)u_ x+\alpha u_ 2=0, \] \[ c(u_ 1,v)\partial v/\partial t+b(u_ 1,v)\partial u_ 2/\partial x-\alpha (u,u_ x)u_{xx}=0; \] \[ u_ 1|_{t=0}=u_{10}(x),\quad u_ 2|_{t=0}=u_{20}(x),\quad v|_{t=0}=v_ 0(x). \] \textit{M. Slemrod} [Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 76, 97-133 (1981; Zbl 0481.73009)] proved the global existence of solutions to various initial boundary value problem of one-dimensional nonlinear thermoelasticity, no results concerning the Cauchy problem. \textit{A. Matsumura} [An energy method for the equations of motion of compressible viscous and heat-conductive fluids, MRC TSR 2194, Madison- Wisconsin (1981)] (see also \textit{A. Matsumura} and \textit{T. Nishida} [Proc. Jap. Acad., Ser. A 55, 337-342 (1979; Zbl 0447.76053) and J. Math. Kyoto Univ. 20, 67-104 (1980; Zbl 0429.76040)]) proved that the global existence of solutions to the Cauchy problem of the equations of viscous compressible and heat-conductive fluids. In this paper the global existence, uniqueness and the decay rates of the global smooth solutions of (1) are proved by means of energy methods under reasonable assumptions in mechanics.