The \(L^1\)-stability of boundary layers for scalar viscous conservation laws (Q5953925)

The stability of stationary solutions \(v=v(x)\) of a scalar viscous conservation law \[ u_t + f(u)_x=0, \quad t>0,\quad x>0 \] on a half line with Dirichlet boundary conditions \(u(0,t)=u_W\) is examined. For non-constant steady states \(v\) the authors prove stability in \({L}^1\): If the initial condition \(u_0\) satisfies \(u_0-v\in L^1\), then the solution tends to \(v\) in \({L}^1\) as \(t\to\infty\). For spatially constant steady states the same is true if, and only if, \(f'(v)\leq 0\). The proof of the stability result combines PDE estimates and dynamical systems methods making use of the fact that the initial-boundary value problem generates a contracting semigroup. The arguments are similar to the ones used by the same authors to prove \({L}^1\)-stability of shock waves on the whole real line.