Parabolic homogenization with an interface (Q6165946)

Homogenization theory for parabolic equations \( \partial_t u_\varepsilon-\operatorname{div}(A(x/\varepsilon,t/\varepsilon^2)\nabla u_\varepsilon)=f(x,t) \) in periodic media \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^d\) proves that \(u_\varepsilon\) converges, as \(\varepsilon\to 0\), weakly in \(L^2(\Omega\times(0,T))\) to the solution \(u_0\) of the associated homogenized equation. The coefficient matrix \(A\) is assumed to be bounded, \(1\)-periodic, uniformly positive definite, and is allowed to depend on time. For initial-Dirichlet and initial-Neumann boundary problems, [\textit{J. Geng} and \textit{Z. Shen}, J. Funct. Anal. 272, No. 5, 2092--2113 (2017; Zbl 1356.35031)] proved quantitative convergence rates \(\|u_\varepsilon-u_0\|_{L^2}=O(\varepsilon)\) under the assumptions \(u_0\in L^2(0,T;H^2(\Omega))\) and \(f\in L^2(\Omega\times(0,T))\). The paper under review deals with the Cauchy problem with zero initial data. The material \(\Omega=\mathbb{R}^d\) is a union of two periodic media glued along an interface which agrees with a coordinate plane. So the homogenized coefficient matrix associated with \(A\) is discontinuous across the interface. Theorem 1.2 gives an \(O(\varepsilon)\) convergence rate under the assumption \(f\in L^\infty(0,T;L^2(\mathbb{R}^d))\). Furthermore, Theorem 1.4 contains uniform interior Lipschitz estimates.