Equation and dynamic boundary condition of Cahn-Hilliard type with singular potentials (Q499640)

The following system of Cahn-Hilliard type \[ \partial _t u-\Delta \mu =0\eqno (1) \] \[ \mu =-\Delta u+W'(u)-f\eqno(2) \] is studied in the domain \(Q:=\Omega \times (0,T)\), where \(0<T<+\infty\) is some fixed time and \(\Omega \subset\mathbb R^N\), \(N=2\) or 3, \(\partial_t\) denotes the partial derivative with respect to time and \(\Delta\) represents the Laplacian operator acting on the space variables. Here, the unknowns \(u\)and \(\mu :Q\to\mathbb R\) stand for the order parameter and the chemical potential, respectively. In order to consider the dynamics on the boundary \(\Sigma :=\Gamma \times (0,T)\), the author introduce also the unknowns \[ u_\Gamma ,\mu_\Gamma :\Sigma \to\mathbb R \] such that \[ u_\Gamma = u|_\Gamma,\, \mu_\Gamma =\mu |_\Gamma\text{ on }\Sigma, \eqno (3) \] with \(u|_\Gamma\) and \(\mu |_\Gamma\) being the traces of \(u\) and \(\mu\), and they consider the same type of equations on the boundary, that is, \[ \partial_t u_\Gamma +\partial_v \mu -\Delta_\Gamma \mu_\Gamma =0\text{ on }\Sigma,\eqno (4) \] \[ \mu_\Gamma =\partial_v u-\Delta_\Gamma u_\Gamma +W'_\Gamma (u_\Gamma)-f_\Gamma | \text{ on }\Sigma, \eqno (5) \] where the extra terms in (4) and (5) contain the outward normal derivative \(\partial_v\) on \(\Gamma\) and where \(\Delta_\Gamma\) denotes the Laplace-Beltrami operator on \(\Gamma\). The dynamic boundary condition (4)-(5) is a sort of transmission problem between the dynamics in the bulk \(\Omega\) and the one on the boundary \(\Gamma\) together with the conditions \[ u(0)=u_0 \text{ in }\Omega, \] \[ u_\Gamma(0)=u_{0\Gamma }\text{ on }\Gamma \] In (2) and (5), the nonlinear terms \(W'\) and \(W'_\Gamma\) play an important role, since they are the derivatives of the functions \(W\) and \(W_\Gamma\) usually referred to as double-well potentials, with two minima and a local unstable maximum in between. The well-posedness of a system of partial differential equations and dynamic boundary conditions (1), (2), both of Cahn-Hilliard type, is discussed. The existence of a weak solution and its continuous dependence on the data is proved using a suitable setting for the conservation of total mass in the bulk plus the boundary.