Global existence of solutions to the Cauchy problem for an attraction-repulsion chemotaxis system in \(\mathbb{R}^2\) in the attractive dominant case (Q1746678)

The authors study nonnegative solutions to the attractive-repulsive chemotaxis system \[ \begin{cases} u_t = \Delta u - \nabla \cdot (u \nabla (\beta_1 v_1 - \beta_2 v_2)), \quad & (t,x) \in (0,\infty) \times \mathbb{R}^2, \\ 0 = \Delta v_1 - \lambda_1 v_1 + u, \quad & (t,x) \in (0,\infty) \times \mathbb{R}^2, \\ 0 = \Delta v_2 - \lambda_2 v_2 + u, \quad & (t,x) \in (0,\infty) \times \mathbb{R}^2, \\ u (0,x) = u_0(x), \quad & x \in \mathbb{R}^2, \end{cases} \] where \(u_0 \in L^1 (\mathbb{R}^2) \cap L^\infty (\mathbb{R}^2)\) is assumed to be nonnegative with \(u_0 \not\equiv 0\), and \(\beta_1\), \(\beta_2\), \(\lambda_1\), \(\lambda_2\) are positive constants. Here \(u\) describes a cell density and \(v_i\) are concentrations of chemical signals, where both signals are produced by the cells and the cells move toward increasing concentrations of \(v_1\) (attractive chemotaxis), but toward decreasing concentrations of \(v_2\) (repulsive chemotaxis). The authors prove that if \(\beta_1 > \beta_2\) and \((\beta_1-\beta_2) \int_{\mathbb{R}^2} u_0 dx < 8\pi\) then the nonnegative solution to the above problem exists globally in time with \(u,v_1,v_2 \in C^\infty ((0,\infty) \times \mathbb{R}^2)\) and \(u \in C([0,\infty); L^1 (\mathbb{R}^2))\). As in case of \((\beta_1-\beta_2) \int_{\mathbb{R}^2} u_0 dx > 8\pi\) there are initial data \(u_0\) such that the solution to the above problem blows up in finite time (see [\textit{R. Shi} and \textit{W. Wang}, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 423, No. 1, 497--520 (2015; Zbl 1307.35065)]), the result is also optimal. The main step of the proof consists of showing the boundedness of \(\int_{\mathbb{R}^2} (1+u(t)) \ln(1+u(t)) dx\) by relying on a modified free energy functional, \(L^p-L^q\) estimates for the heat semigroup and the resolvent of the Laplacian, as well as a Brezis-Merle type inequality.