The sharp upper bound of the lifespan of solutions to critical semilinear wave equations in high dimensions (Q550025)

This article considers the Cauchy problem for the equation \(u_{tt}-\Delta u = |u|^p\) with \((x,t)\in\mathbb R^n\times[0,+\infty)\) and data of the form \((\epsilon f, \epsilon g)\), where \(\epsilon\) is a small parameter. The following assumptions are made: (i) \(n\geq 4\); (ii) \(p\) is equal to the usual critical exponent \((n+1+\sqrt{n^2+10n-7})/(2(n-1))\); and (iii) \(f\) and \(g\) are nonnegative, in \(H^1\) and \(L^2\) respectively, with support in the closed ball of radius \(R\). The main result states that the maximal time of existence \(T(\epsilon)\) admits an upper bound of the form \(\exp[C\epsilon^{-p(p-1)}]\) for \(0<\epsilon\leq\epsilon_0\), for some \(\epsilon_0\) that depends on \(f\), \(g\), \(n\), \(p\) and \(R\). A number of related results are also summarized.