Blow-up rates of solutions of initial-boundary value problems for a quasi-linear parabolic equation (Q338445)

The paper under review deals with initial-boundary value problems for the quasilinear parabolic equation \[ k_t=k^2(k_{\theta\theta}+k),\quad \theta\in(-L,L),\;t>0, \] with zero Dirichlet boundary conditions and positive initial data. It is well known that the solutions to that problem blow up at a finite time \(T\) with rate faster than \(\sqrt{(T-t)^{-1}}.\) Under some assumptions, the authors prove that \[ \sup_\theta k(\theta,t)\approx \sqrt{(T-t)^{-1}\log\log(T-t)^{-1}}\quad \text{as}\;t\to T^-. \] The approach is based on analysis of the curve shortening flows with self-crossing points due to \textit{S. B. Angenent} and \textit{J. J. L. Velázquez} [Duke Math. J. 77, No. 1, 71--110 (1995; Zbl 0829.35058)].