A Morse index invariant reduction of non-equilibrium thermodynamics (Q1751619)

The purpose of this paper is to continue the study of the finite-dimensional reduction non-equilibrium thermodynamics theory, which originates in the continuity equation together with a constitutive equation of matrix form. The strategy of this study is to invent artificial analogues of thermodynamic terms like a potential function \(V\), free energy. First, the reaction-diffusion equation \[ \frac{\partial{u}}{\partial{t}}=\triangle u-V'(u)\tag{1} \] is studied, whose stationary limit is the nonlinear Poisson equation. The study of the Laplace equation with non-homogeneous boundary conditions leads to the discussion of the spectral representation of an inverse Laplacian operator. Furthermore, the reduction of the reaction-diffusion equation (1) leads to a potential energy of the system, a Fokker-Planck equation, and a quasi-potential. The viscosity solutions of the evolutive Hamilton-Jacobi problem lead to a new definition of the free energy. The Morse index is the dimension of the negative space of a certain bilinear form. The symplectic view of the nonlinear Poisson equation with homogenous Robin conditions leads to the construction of an infinite-dimensional phase space. Finally, the finite reduction can be coupled together with both the boundary conditions and with the Morse index. In an appendix a weak infinite-dimensional Maslov-Hörmander theorem is stated and proved.