Stability of abstract thermoelastic systems with inertial terms (Q2273509)

In this paper, the authors study coupled systems of thermoelastic type in a very general form in the case that the heat conduction can be determined by the Fourier or Cattaneo-Maxwell constitutive law. The mathematical generalization comes from the fact that the systems are determined by several powers (between zero and one) of a general self-adjoined positive definite operator (defined on a Hilbert space). To be precise the problems are determined by three parameters which define the unit cube. Examples of application are recalled. The authors determine the regions in the unit cube where exponential stability is obtained as well as the regions where the decay cannot be controlled by a negative exponential (for Fourier and Cattaneo-Maxwell laws). A comparison for the behaviours for the two cases is also pointed out. Some polynomial estimates for the regions of non-exponential decay is also presented at the end of the paper. The authors use the semigroup arguments to prove the exponential and the polynomial decay. Loss of exponential decay is obtained by using the Hurwitz rule. It is really a very nice paper.