Global existence conditions for nonlocal problem arising in statistical mechancis (Q2501632)

The paper under review is concerned with the parabolic-elliptic system \[ n_t = \text{div } (\theta(t)\nabla n+ n\nabla\Phi) \quad\text{ in } \Omega\times \mathbb{R}^+\tag{1.1} \] \[ \Delta\Phi = n \quad \text{ in } \Omega \times\mathbb{R}^+\tag{1.2} \] combined with the energy relation \[ E=\kappa\theta(t)+\int_\Omega n \;\Phi \;dx \quad \text{in }\mathbb{R}^+, \] where \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^3\) is a bounded open set, \(n,\Phi\) and \(\theta\) are the unknowns, and \(E, \;\kappa\) are given parameters. System (1.1), (1.2) is completed by the boundary conditions \[ (\theta(t)\nabla n + n\nabla\Phi)\cdot \nu=0,\quad \Phi=0 \quad \text{ on } \partial\Omega\times\mathbb{R}^+ \tag{1.3} \] (\(\nu\) = exterior normal with respect to \(\Omega\) on \(\partial\Omega\)), and an initial condition on \(n\). This problem models the evolution of the density \(n\) and the temperature \(\theta\) of a system of self-interacting particles under the action of the gravitational potential \(\Phi\). The authors 1) prove the local existence and uniqueness of weak solutions to the problem under consideration (using the Schauder fixed point theorem) and 2) give sufficient conditions for global-in-time existence and blow-up for radially symmetric solutions (using a comparison principle for an equation for the accumulated radial mass).