Unidirectional evolution equations of diffusion type (Q1993955)

The authors study the initial-boundary value problem \[ \begin{aligned} &\partial_tu = (\Delta u+f)_+\;\text{in}\;Q:=\Omega\times (0,\infty),\\ &u=0\;\text{ on}\;\Gamma_D\times (0,\infty),\;\partial_\nu u=0\;\text{on}\;\Gamma_N\times (0,\infty),\;u|_{t=0}=u_0\;\text{in}\;\Omega, \end{aligned} \] where \(\Omega\) is a bounded Lipschitz domain in \(\mathbb{R}^n,\;n\in \mathbb{N};\;\Gamma=\partial\Omega,\;\Gamma_D\subset \Gamma,\;\Gamma_N\subset \Gamma,\) \(\;\Gamma_D\cap \Gamma_N=\emptyset,\;\mathcal{H}^{n-1}(\Gamma\setminus(\Gamma_D\cup \Gamma_N))=0,\;\mathcal{H}^{n-1}\) is the \((n-1)\)-dimensional Hausdorff measure in \(\mathbb{R}^n\). They define a strong solution of the problem and verify its uniqueness. The existence is proved employing a backward Euler scheme and by a new method of \textit{a priori} estimates based on a reduction of discretized equations to variational inequalities of obstacle type and by developing a regularity theory for such obstacle problems. The discretization is applied also to proving the comparison principle and to investigation the long-time behaviour of solutions.