Generalized convexity and the existence of finite time blow-up solutions for an evolutionary problem (Q644198)

In the first part of the present paper it is introduced a new class of generalized convex functions. Their study is motivated by the right-hand-side of the Hermite-Hadamard inequality. The new class, denoted by \(GC_\alpha\) (for \(\alpha>0\)) is strongly related to regularly-varying functions (in the sense of Karamata) that fulfill the Keller-Osserman condition. These results are then applied to the study of finite time blow-up solutions for a class of nonlinear parabolic equations. More precisely, the authors establish a sufficient condition for the existence of finite time blow-up solutions for a class of evolutionary problems. The abstract setting is as follows. Assume that \(\Omega\subset {\mathbb R}^N\) is a bounded domain with smooth boundary and let \(f:[0,\infty )\rightarrow [0,\infty)\) be a locally Lipschitz function. Consider the quasilinear evolution equation \[ u_t-\Delta_pu=f(|u|)-\frac{1}{|\Omega|}\int_\Omega f(|u|) \] subject to the Neumann boundary condition \[ |\nabla u|^{p-2}\frac{\partial u}{\partial n}=0\text{ on } \partial\Omega \] and to the initial condition \[ u(x,0)=u_0(x)\qquad\text{on}\;\Omega, \text{ where } \int_\Omega u_0dx=0. \] Then, if \(\alpha >p^2-p-1\) and \(f\in GC_\alpha\), the above considered problem admits a solution such that \(\limsup_{t\rightarrow T-}\|u(t)\|_{L^2}=+\infty\), for some \(T\in (0,\infty)\). The proof combines variational arguments with the Poincaré inequality.