On a nonlocal phase separation model (Q1413156)

The usual Cahn-Hilliard equation modeling the phase separation in binary systems is derived from a free energy functional of the form, \(F(u)= \int_\Omega\left[f(u) + \kappa u(1-u) + \lambda/2 |\nabla u|^2 \right] dx\). In this paper, the authors develop a mathematical theory of an alternative model to the Cahn-Hilliard equation. The new model equation is obtained by replacing the term \(\lambda/2|\nabla u|^2\) in \(F(u)\) by a nonlocal term \(K*(1-u)\) for a suitable integral kernel \(K\). The advantage of this nonlocal model is that its solution \(u\) automatically satisfies the physical requirement \(0\leq u\leq 1\). Assume that the spatial domain \(\Omega\) is bounded with a Lipschitz boundary and that the initial datum \(u_0\) satisfies \(0\leq u_0\leq 1\). The authors show that the nonlocal equation has a unique global (in time) solution. In addition, the \(v-\)component of the solution is shown to be regular in the sense that it is bounded over any finite-time interval. Note that the \(v-\)component represents the chemical potential. The free energy functional plays a very important role in the proofs of these results. Finally, the authors investigate the large-time behavior of the solution. They establish that there exists a sequence of time \(\{t_k\}\) approaching \(\infty\) such that the sequence of values of the solution evaluated at this time sequence approaches the equilibrium state. It is an open problem whether the solution tends to the equilibrium state as \(t\to \infty\) (not just along that particular time sequence).