Behavior of solutions of semilinear parabolic equations as \(x\to\infty\) (Q1311065)

The author considers the initial-boundary value problem \[ u_ t- u_{xx}= f(x,t,u), \quad x>0,\;0<t<T, \quad u(x,0)= \varphi(x), \quad u(0,t)= \mu(t), \tag{1} \] where \(f\) is nondecreasing in \(u\) and satisfies \(f(x,t, u)\to \overline {f} (t,u)\) as \(x\to \infty\). Using the fundamental solution of the heat equation he shows that there is a minimal solution of (1), i.e. a solution \(u(x,t)\) which satisfies \(u(x,t)\leq v(x,t)\) for any other solution \(v(x,t)\) of (1). If \(g(t)\) denotes the minimal solution of the initial value problem \(g'(t)= \overline {f} (t,g)\), \(g(0)= c\) (where it is assumed that \(\varphi(x) \to c\) as \(x\to \infty\)), then the asymptotic behaviour \(u(x,t)\to g(t)\) as \(x\to \infty\), is proved for the minimal solution \(u\) of (1). In addition, if \(f\) satisfies a Lipschitz condition in \(u\), it is shown that the solution of (1) is unique.