Global asymptotic limit of solutions of the Cahn-Hilliard equation (Q678802)

Let \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^N\) denote a bounded smooth domain, and consider a function \(f\in C^3 (\mathbb{R})\) such that \(f=F'\), the function \(F\) taking its global minimum 0 only at \(\pm 1\). Suppose further that a family \(\{u_0^\varepsilon\}_{\varepsilon>0}\) of initial data is given satisfying \[ \sup_{0< \varepsilon\leq 1} \int_\Omega \left({\varepsilon\over 2} |\nabla u_0^\varepsilon |^2+ {1\over\varepsilon} F(u_0^\varepsilon) \right)dx< \infty, \quad {1\over |\Omega |} \int_\Omega u^\varepsilon_0 dx=m_0 \in(-1,1) \quad \forall\quad 0< \varepsilon\leq 1. \] The main result of the paper can be summarized as follows: Consider the Cahn-Hilliard equation \[ u^\varepsilon_t(x,t)= \Delta\bigl(-\varepsilon \Delta u^\varepsilon+ \varepsilon^{-1} f(u^\varepsilon) \bigr)(x,t), \quad (x,t)\in\Omega \times(0,\infty); \] \[ {\partial \over\partial n} u^\varepsilon= {\partial\over \partial n} \bigl(-\varepsilon \Delta u^\varepsilon+ \varepsilon^{-1} f(u^\varepsilon) \bigr), \quad(x,t) \in\partial \Omega\times [0,\infty); \quad u^\varepsilon (x,0)= u_0^\varepsilon(x), \quad x\in \Omega. \] Then there is a subsequence of \(\{u^\varepsilon\}_{0< \varepsilon\leq 1}\) converging in a weak sense to a weak solution of an appropriately defined limit Cahn-Hilliard problem. It is also shown that in the radially symmetric case all the interfaces of the limit have multiplicity one for almost all times \(t>0\) regardless of the initial energy distributions. The author makes extensive use of concepts from geometric measure theory like BV functions and varifolds.