Biharmonic map heat flow into manifolds of nonpositive curvature (Q1773092)

The fourth-order heat flow for the intrinsic bi-energy functional \(E_2(u):={1\over2}\int_M| \tau(u)| ^2\) for maps between compact Riemannian manifolds is considered, where \(\tau\) is the tension field. The problem is closely related to the study of harmonic maps, because those are characterized by \(\tau(u)\equiv0\) and therefore provide stationary solutions to the flow, i.e.\ critical points of \(E_2\) (biharmonic maps). The assumptions are nonpositive curvature of the target manifold (in which case biharmonic maps are automatically harmonic) and a dimension \(\leq4\) of the domain manifold (the interesting case being the \(4\)-dimensional). Under these assumptions, it is proven that for any sufficiently smooth initial data the biharmonic map heat flow has an eternal solution which subconverges to a harmonic map. The proof, which is interesting because of its consequent use of interpolation techniques, uses arguments invented by Struwe for the harmonic map heat flow [see \textit{M.~Struwe}, Comment. Math. Helv. 60, 558--581 (1985; Zbl 0595.58013)]. Crucial ingredients are bi-energy monotonicities, \(W^{4,2}\)-estimates, and the nonexistence of quasi-biharmonic spheres which would be the only possible blowup limits of a solution near a potential singularity.