A quasilinear parabolic inverse problem in Hölder spaces (Q1848334)

The author is concerned with recovering the scalar convolution kernel \(h\) in the following quasilinear integrodifferential equation related to a general Banach algebra \(X\): \[ u'(t) = a(u(t))A(x)u(t) + \int_0^t h(t - s)b(u(s))Bu(s) ds + f(u(t)),\qquad t\in [0,T], \tag{1} \] subject to the initial condition \[ u(0) = u_0, \tag{2} \] and to the additional condition \[ \Phi[u(t)] = g(t),\qquad t\in [0,T]. \tag{3} \] Here \(A\) and \(B\) stand for linear closed operators from \(X\) into itself having the same domain, \(a(u_0)A\) being a generator of an analytic semigroup. Further, \(\Phi\) is a linear bounded functional on \(X\), while \(a,b,f:X\to X\) and \(g:[0,T]\to {\mathbb R}\) are given (smooth) nonlinear operators and a given (smooth) function. To solve problem (1)--(3) the author uses a semigroup approach and proves that, under the solvability condition \(\Phi[b(u_0)Bu_0] \neq 0\) and suitable smoothness assumptions on the data and the operators involved, the identification problem (1)--(4) admits a unique (local in time) solution. \noindent Then he applies this abstract result to the case where \(X=C({\overline \Omega})\), \(A\) and \(B\) stand for the realizations related to linear uniformly elliptic second-order operators with variable coefficients and homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions, \(\Phi[u]=\int_\Omega \varphi(x)u(x) dx\) and \(a,b,f:\Omega \times {\mathbb R}\to {\mathbb R}\), \(\varphi:\Omega \to {\mathbb R}\) and \(g:[0,T]\to {\mathbb R}\) are given (smooth) functions, \(a\) being strictly positive.