Radially symmetric solutions for a Keller-Segel system with flux limitation and nonlinear diffusion (Q2676255)

In this article, the following parabolic-elliptic chemotaxis system is analysed: \[ \begin{cases} u_{t}=\Delta u^m - \chi\nabla\cdot ( u|\nabla v|^{p-2}\nabla v),& t>0,\ x\in B,\\ -\Delta v= u-\frac{1}{|B|}\int_B u_0\,dx,& t>0,\ x\in B,\\ \partial_{\nu}u=\partial_{\nu}v=0,& t>0,\ x\in \partial B,\\ u|_{t=0}=u_0&x\in\mathbb{R}^N, \end{cases}\tag{1} \] where \(B=\{x\in\mathbb R^N:\ |x|<1\}\), \(N\in\mathbb{N}\), is a unit ball with boundary \(\partial B\) and volume \(|B|\), \(m>2\), \(p\in(1,2)\), and \(\chi>0\) are some constants, \(u=u(t,x)\) and \(v=v(t,x)\) are the unknowns, and the initial value \(u_0\in C^2(\overline{B})\) is a given positive radially symmetric function with \(\partial_{\nu}u_0=0\) on \(\partial B\). In this radially symmetric setting, a parabolic equation for the evolution of the mass accumulation function \[ U(t,\rho):=\int_{|x|<\rho^{\frac{1}{N}}}u(t,x)\,dx \] with initial value \(U_0(\rho):=\int_{|x|<\rho^{\frac{1}{N}}}u_0(x)\,dx\) is derived and analysed. The result of the paper, Theorem 1.1, is formulated under the assumption \[ U_0\in L^2_{\rho^{\frac{2-2N}{N}}}(0,1)\cap W^{1,m}(0,1). \] It provides the existence of a local weak solution to (1) if \[ -\frac{1}{m}+\frac{1}{N}+1-\frac{pm}{4(m-1)}\geq0 \] and of a global one if \[ \frac{m}{m-2}\left(\frac{pm}{2(m-1)}-1\right)\leq 1. \] Uniqueness of solutions to (1) remains open, the challenge being the singular dependence upon \(\nabla v\) in the PDE for \(u\) due to \(p<2\).