On the wellposedness in the Gevrey classes of the Cauchy problem for weakly hyperbolic equations whose coefficients are Hölder continuous in \(t\) and degenerate in \(t=T\) (Q1284626)

Let us consider in \([0,T]\times \mathbb{R}^n_x\) the weakly hyperbolic Cauchy problem \[ u_{tt}- \sum^n_{i,j=1} a_{ij}(t) u_{x_ix_j}+ \sum^n_{i=1} b_i(t) u_{x_i}= 0,\quad u(0,x)= u_0(x),\quad u_t(0,x)= u_1(x), \] where \(A(t)\equiv (a_{ij})\) is a real symmetric matrix with \(a_{ij}(t)\) belonging to \(C^{k+\alpha}[0,T)\) (\(k\in\mathbb{N}\), \(\alpha\in[0,1]\)). The real vector \(B(t)\equiv (b_1(t))\) has components belonging to \(C^0[0,T)\). On the line \(t= T\) the matrix \(A(t)\) and the vector \(B(t)\) degenerate. There exist results [\textit{F. Colombini}, \textit{E. Jannelli} and \textit{S. Spagnolo}, Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa, Cl. Sci., IV. Ser. 10, 291-312 (1983; Zbl 0543.35056)] about a relation between Hölder continuity of the coefficients and Gevrey well-posedness of the above Cauchy problem, namely, if \(A(t)\in C^{k+\alpha}[0,T)\), \(B(t)\in C^0[0,T)\), then the Cauchy problem is well posed in \(G^s\), \(1\leq s<1+{k+\alpha\over 2}\). The author followed a nice idea to include in the assumptions the order of degeneration at \(t= T\). He assumes for \(a(t,\xi)\equiv (\sum a_{ij}\xi_i, \xi_j)\) and \(b(t,\xi)\equiv (\sum b_i(t)\xi_i)\) the conditions \[ C_1\Biggl(1- {t\over T}\Biggr)^\beta|\xi|^2\leq a(t,\xi)\leq C^{-1}_1\Biggl(1-{t\over T}\Biggr)^\beta|\xi|^2,\quad \beta\in [0,\infty]; \] \[ | b(t,\xi)|\leq C_2\Biggl(1- {t\over T}\Biggr)^\gamma|\xi|,\quad \gamma\in (-1,\infty]. \] The orders of degeneration are \(\beta\), \(\gamma\), respectively, some Gevrey type Levi conditions are satisfied. The author obtains results about the connection between \(s\), \(\alpha\), \(\beta\) and \(\gamma\).