Non-negative global weak solutions for a degenerated parabolic system approximating the two-phase Stokes problem (Q2441665)

Non-negative global weak solutions are constructed for the one-dimensional degenerate parabolic system \begin{align*} \partial_t f &= - \partial_x \left[ f^3 \partial_x^3 f + \frac{R}{2} \left( 2 f^3 + 3 f^2 g \right) \partial_x^3 (f+g) \right] ,\quad x \in (0,L), t > 0 \\ \partial_t g &= - \partial_x \left[ \frac{3}{2} f^2 g \partial_x^3 f + \frac{R}{2} \left( 2\mu g^3 + 3 f^2 g + 6 f g^2 \right) \partial_x^3 (f+g) \right] ,\quad x \in (0,L)\ , t > 0, \end{align*} supplemented with homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions \(\partial_x f = \partial_x^3 f = \partial_x g = \partial_x^3 g = 0\), \(x\in\{0,L\}\), and non-negative initial conditions \(f_0\) and \(g_0\) in \(H^1(0,L)\). This system is a thin film approximation of the two-phase Stokes problem when only capillarity is taken into account and \(f\) and \(g\) denote the heights of the lower and upper fluids, respectively. It also generalizes the classical thin film equation \(\partial_t f = - \partial_x \left[ f^3 \partial_x^3 f \right]\) after setting \(g\equiv 0\). The existence proof requires two steps. First, solutions to a non-degenerate approximation are constructed by a Galerkin scheme, these solutions being not necessarily non-negative due to the fourth-order diffusion terms. A compactness argument relying on an energy estimate is next used to complete the existence proof, the non-negativity of the solutions being recovered in the limit as the approximation parameter converges to zero.