Evolving graphs by singular weighted curvature (Q1386638)

The authors study degenerate nonlinear parabolic equations whose diffusion effect is so strong at particular slopes of the unknowns that the equation is no longer a partial differential equation. A typical example is an evolution equation of the form \[ u_t + F(t,u_x,(W'(u_x))_x)=0 \] with a given function \(F\) satisfying the degenerate ellipticity condition \(F(t,p,X)\leq F(t,p,Y)\) for \(X\geq Y\). Here \(W\) is a given function so that \(W'\) may have jumps and hence, \(W''\) contains a sum of delta-type functions. This type of equations appear in material sciences and physics as a geometric evolution law of interfacial curves bounding two phases of materials. The purpose of this paper is threefold: (i) to introduce a new notion of solution to the equation, (ii) to establish a comparison principle for the solutions, and (iii) to prove the unique existence of global-in-time solutions. For this purpose the theory of viscosity solutions to this type of equations is applied and extended. They show that this extended version is suitable for studying the equation when \(W'\) has jumps.