Global classical solutions for a class of quasilinear hyperbolic systems (Q3152166)

The initial value problem for the quasilinear strictly hyperbolic system \[ u_t+A (u) u_x=0 \] is considered, where \(u(t,x)\) is a vector, \(A(u)\) is an \(n \times n\) matrix with suitably smooth elements and with a bounded \(C^1\) norm. The authors prove that, if the singularity is not caused by the genuine nonlinear characteristics, and it (if any ) occurs for \(C^1\) solution \(u=u (t, x)\) to the Cauchy's problem, then the solution \(u\) itself should first blow up in finite time, and this character of singularity is different from that of the singularity caused by an eigenvalue. They construct an example when a solution and its derivative blow up at finite time if the initial data are not small. They find a condition to \(A (u)\) and to the initial data when the considered problem has a unique global solution for \(t >0.\)