Long-time existence for a solution of the equation of evolution of harmonic maps into an ellipsoid (Q1313532)

Let \(\Omega\) be a bounded open subset of \(\mathbb{R}^ m\) with a regular boundary \(\partial\Omega\) and let \[ N= \bigl\{(u_ 1,u_ 2)\in \mathbb{R}^ n\times \mathbb{R}: | u_ 1|^ 2+ a^{-2} u^ 2_ 2= 1\bigr\},\quad 0< a\leq 1. \] The author is concerned with the parabolic system associated with the harmonic map system from \(\Omega\) to \(N\), i.e. \[ \begin{cases} \partial_ t u_ 1 = \Delta u_ 1+ \lambda u_ 1\\ \partial_ t u_ 2 = \Delta u_ 2+ \lambda a^{-2} u_ 2\end{cases},\tag{1} \] where \[ \lambda= \bigl[| \nabla u_ 1|^ 2+ a^{-2}| \nabla u_ 2|^ 2\bigr] {a^ 4\over a^ 2| u_ 1|^ 2+ u^ 2_ 2}. \] The main result asserts that for every smooth map \(h: \overline \Omega\to N\) with \(h(\overline\Omega)\subset \{(u_ 1,u_ 2)\in N: u_ 2> 0\}\) there exists a solution \(u\in \bigcup_{T>0} C^ \infty(\overline\Omega\times (0,T); N)\) of (1) with \[ \forall T> 0,\;\forall p< \infty: \int_{\Omega\times (0,T)} \bigl(| u|^ p+ |\nabla u|^ p+ |\nabla^ 2 u|^ p+ |\partial_ t u|^ p\bigr) dx dt<\infty \] and with \(u(x,t)= h(x)\) on \(\partial\Omega\times (0,+\infty)\) and \(\Omega\times \{0\}\). A similar result was also obtained, under different assumptions, by \textit{J. Jost} in Manuscr. Math. 34, 17-25 (1981; Zbl 0459.58013).