Blow-up profiles for the parabolic-elliptic Keller-Segel system in dimensions ${n\geq 3}$ (Q1741662)

The authors consider the radially symmetric solutions to the parabolic-elliptic Keller-Segel-Patlak system from chemotaxis given by, for $\Omega=B_R\subset\mathbb{R}^n$, $R>0$, $n\ge1$, \[ \begin{cases} u_t=\Delta u-\nabla\cdot(u\nabla v), & x\in\Omega, \quad t>0, \\ 0=\Delta v+u-\mu, & x\in\Omega, \quad t>0, \\ \frac{\partial u}{\partial \nu} = \frac{\partial v}{\partial \nu} = 0, & x\in\partial\Omega, \quad t>0, \\ u(x,0)=u_0(0), & x\in\Omega,\tag{1} \end{cases} \] where \[ \mu = \frac{1}{|\Omega|}\int_\Omega u_0.\tag{2} \] The problem is also considered on all of $\mathbb{R}^n$ without the boundary conditions and the average value $\mu$. It is assumed that $u_0$ is positive, nonconstant, essentially bounded, radially symmetric and nonincreasing in $|x|$. Local well-posedness of the system (1) with (2) is well-known, however it is also known that when $n\ge2$ and $u_0$ is sufficiently large, then $T<\infty$ and the solution exhibits blow-up of the following order \[ \lim_{t\rightarrow T}\|u(\cdot,x)\|_{L^\infty}=\infty \] on this see e.g. [\textit{W. Jäger} and \textit{S. Luckhaus}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 329, No. 2, 819--824 (1992; Zbl 0746.35002)]. \par This article presents a study of the asymptotic behavior of $u$ at or near the blow-up time for $n\ge3$ (the $n=2$ case is well understood, see e.g. [\textit{M. A. Herrero} and \textit{J. J. L. Velázquez}, Math. Ann. 306, No. 3, 583--623 (1996; Zbl 0864.35008)]). In the case where $\Omega=\mathbb{R}^n$, there are radial, positive, backward self-similar solutions whose blow-up profile is given explicitly. When $\Omega=B_R$, and actually for $n\ge2$, it is known that blow-up will only occur at $x=0$ (see [\textit{I. Guerra} and \textit{M. A. Peletier}, Nonlinearity 17, No. 6, 2137--2162 (2004; Zbl 1067.35134)]). The authors establish that the final profile satisfies $C_1|x|^{-2} \le u(x,T) \le C_2|x|^{-2}$, with convergence in $L^1$ as $t\rightarrow T$. In addition, the authors also find a more refined space-time estimates of the form $u(x,t) \le C(T-t+|x|^2)^{-1}$ for type I blow-up solutions.