Slow motion in higher-order systems and \(\Gamma\)-convergence in one space dimension (Q5931372)

Let \(F: \mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) be a smooth double-well potential such that \(F(\pm 1)= 0\), \(F''(\pm 1)> 0\), \(F(u)> 0\) for all \(u\in \mathbb{R}\setminus\{\pm 1\}\) and \(\inf\{F(u):|u|\geq 2\}> 0\). This paper deals with the singularly perturbed parabolic equation: \[ u_t= \sum^n_{k=1} (-1)^{k+1} \varepsilon^{2k} \gamma_k D^{2k}u- F'(u)\tag{1} \] in the interval \((a,b)\), subject to suitable boundary conditions, associated with the energy functional: \[ E_\varepsilon(u)= {1\over\varepsilon} \int^b_a \Biggl(\sum^n_{k=1} {\gamma_k \varepsilon^{2k}\over 2} (D^k u)^2+ F(u)\Biggr) dx, \] where \(\gamma_k\) are suitable constants and \(n\geq 2\). Slow motion of transition layers in the solutions to (1) is studied. The authors present a variational approach of this problem and prove that, for initial data sufficiently close to a step function, the transition layers do not significantly move on a time scale of order \(\exp(C/\varepsilon)\). The main tool is an energy estimate which has a natural interpretation within the theory of \(\Gamma\)-convergence of functionals. Different applications of their method to more general situations are investigated in the last section of the paper.