Conservation of the mass for solutions to a class of singular parabolic equations (Q487275)

This paper is concerned with the initial-value problem \[ u_t=\operatorname {div} A(x,t,u,Du)\quad \text{for }(x,t)\in\mathbb R^N\times [0,\infty), N\geq 1, \] together with \(u(0,\cdot)=\mu\). Here, \(A\) is assumed to be measurable in \((x,t)\) and continuous in \(u\) and \(Du\) for a.e. \((x,t)\). The initial condition \(\mu\) is assumed to be an arbitrary finite nonnegative Radon measure with compact support (e.g., a Dirac measure located at some point). The main result is for ``\(p\)-Laplacian type'' equations, where for some \(p\in (2N /(N+1),2)\), \(A\) is subject to \[ A(x,t,u,\eta)\cdot\eta\geq c_0| \eta|^p\quad\text{and}\quad| A(x,t,u,\eta)| \leq c_1| \eta|^{p-1}. \] Additional requirements on \(A\) which ensure the existence and positivity of weak solutions are mentioned, but these are not crucial for the proof of the main result. The main result says that, along weak solutions and under the aforementioned conditions, the initial mass is conserved, that is, \[ \int_{\mathbb R^N}u(x,t)dx=\int_{\mathbb R^N} d\mu,\quad\text{for all }t>0. \] The proof is mainly based on \(L^1\)-\(L^1\) and \(L^1\)-\(L^\infty\) estimates for the solution proven in [\textit{E. DiBenedetto} et al., Ann. Sc. Norm. Super. Pisa, Cl. Sci. (5) 9, No. 2, 385--422 (2010; Zbl 1206.35053)]. The authors assert that the same method of proof can be applied to fast-diffusion type equations \(u_t=\operatorname{div} A(x,t,u,D(| u|^{m-1}u))\) with diffusion exponents \(m\in(((N-2)/N)_+,1)\).