Connecting continua and curves of equilibria of the Cahn-Hilliard equation on the square (Q874678)

The Rabinowitz type alternative result is given for global Global properties of paths of equilibria are studied for the Cahn-Hilliard equation, which is a fourth order parabolic equation with equilibria given by \[ \Delta u + \lambda f(u) = \lambda c \text{ in } \Omega,\;\partial_\nu u =0 \text{ on } \partial \Omega \] square \(_\Omega\) are studied. The Cahn-Hilliard equation is the and where \(c=\frac{1}{|\Omega|} \int_\Omega f(u)\) and \(\lambda\) is a parameter related to an interaction length. The Cahn-Hilliard equation is mass preserving and it is natural to consider also the parameter \(m=\frac{1}{|\Omega|} \int_\Omega f(u)\). For any \(\lambda\) and \(c=f(m)\), the problem has a trivial (spatially homogeneous) solution \(u=m\). A bifurcation analysis is performed for the case when \(\Omega\) is a square and for fixed \(\lambda\) or fixed \(m\). For fixed \(\lambda\) and any mode \(w_{ij}=\cos (i\pi x)\cos (j\pi y)\) there are two bifurcation points \(m_{ij}\) and \(-m_{ij}\) at which nontrivial solutions bifurcate. The authors prove that the paths of nontrivial solutions either only connect \(m_{ij}\) with \(-m_{ij}\) and are separated from all other branches with even more symmetry, or they contain a loop of nontrivial solutions connecting the bifurcation point \(m_{ij}\) with itself. In any case the continua emerging at \(m_{ij}\) and \(-m_{ij}\) are equal. For fixed mass \(m_0=0\), the continua corresponding to the modes \(w_{i0} + w_{0i}\) or \(w_{ij}\) (\(i,j \in N\)) form smooth curves in the parameter \(\lambda\) and are separated from each other.