Regularity results for the solutions of a non-local model of traffic flow (Q2423620)

The authors consider the macroscopic first order model for traffic flow introduced and investigated in [\textit{S. Blandin} and \textit{P. Goatin}, Numer. Math. 132, No. 2, 217--241 (2016; Zbl 1336.65130); \textit{P. Goatin} and \textit{S. Scialanga}, Netw. Heterog. Media 11, No. 1, 107--121 (2016; Zbl 1350.35117)]. The model consists of a scalar conservation law in one space dimension whose flux is non-local in the following sense. The traffic velocity measured at a point $x$ depends on a weigthed average of the density of traffic $\rho$ on a small interval upstream $x$. More precisely, the authors fix $\eta >0$ and consider a non negative, decreasing function $\omega$ with support in $[0,\eta]$, then define the velocity of traffic as a function $v$ of $\rho\star \omega$, where $\star$ indicates the convolution product. Unlike other studies, the authors consider here the situation in which $\omega $ is discontinuous at $0$ and possibly at $\eta$. The main result in the paper asks for $\omega\in C^2([0,\eta])$ and establishes the local in time regularity of weak solutions to the Cauchy problem \[ \begin{cases} \partial_t \rho + \partial_x( \rho v(\rho\star\omega) )=0, &\qquad (t,x)\in\mathbb{R}^+\times \mathbb{R} \\ \rho(0, x) = \rho^0(x),& \qquad x\in\mathbb{R}, \end{cases} \] depending on the regularity of the initial condition $\rho^0$. This also provides and alternative proof of the local in time existence of weak solutions. Toward the proof, the authors introduce for any $\varepsilon \in ]0,1]$ a regularized extension of $\omega$, $\omega_\varepsilon$, with support on $[-\varepsilon, \eta +\varepsilon]$, and consider the viscous equation \[ \partial_t \rho_\varepsilon + \partial_x( \rho_\varepsilon v(\rho_\varepsilon\star\omega_\varepsilon) )=\varepsilon \partial^2_{xx}\rho_\varepsilon. \] The solution of the Cauchy problem given by this latter equation together with the initial condition $\rho_\varepsilon(0, x) = \rho^0(x)$ is smooth. The regularity properties of the solution to the original problem result from the ones of $\{\rho_\varepsilon\}_\varepsilon$ by passing to the limit as $\varepsilon \to 0$.