Existence and regularity of source-type self-similar solutions for stable thin-film equations (Q2171953)

Summary: We investigate the existence and the boundary regularity of source-type self-similar solutions to the thin-film equation \(h_t = -(h^n h_{zzz})_z + (h^{n+3})_{zz}\), \(t > 0\), \(z \in \mathbb{R}\); \(h (0,z) = \omega \delta (z)\) where \(n \in (3/2, 3)\), \(\omega > 0\) and \(\delta\) is the Dirac mass at the origin. It is known that the leading order expansion near the edge of the support coincides with that of a traveling-wave solution for the standard thin-film equation: \(h_t = -(h^n h_{zzz})_z\). In this paper we sharpen this result, proving that the higher-order corrections are analytic with respect to three variables: the first one is just the spatial variable, whereas the second and the third (except for \(n = 2\)) are irrational powers of it. It is known that this third variable does not appear for the thin-film equation without gravity.