Compressible Navier-Stokes equations with density-dependent viscosity (Q2505265)

The author proves the global existence of weak solutions to one-dimensional compressible isentropic Navier-Stokes equations with density-dependent viscosity, which can be written in Euclidean coordinates as \[ \rho_t+ (\rho u)_x= 0,\quad x\in\mathbb{R},\quad t> 0,\tag{1} \] \[ (\rho u)_t+ (\rho u^2)_x+ P(\rho)_x= (\mu(\rho) u_x)_x+\rho f,\tag{2} \] with initial data \[ (\rho(\cdot, 0),u(\cdot, 0))= (\rho_0, u_0).\tag{3} \] Here \(\rho\) and \(u\) are unknown functions of \(x\) and \(t\) representing the fluid density and velocity, \(P= P(\rho)\) is the pressure, \(\mu(\rho)\) is a positive viscosity coefficient, \(f= f(x,t)\) is the external force. The results of this paper show that, for the system (1)--(3) neither concentration states nor vacuum states can occur. Viscosity effects evidently prevent the density from becoming zero at all times, whenever viscosity is constant or density-dependent.