Breakdown of classical solutions to the Cauchy problem on a semi-bounded initial axis for quasilinear hyperbolic systems (Q938749)

The author considers the first-order quasilinear hyperbolic system: \[ {\partial u\over\partial t}+ A(u){\partial u\over\partial x}= F(u),\quad u(0,x)= \varepsilon\varphi(x), \] where \(u= (u_1,\dots, u_n)^T\) is the unknown vecor function of \((t, x)\), \(A(u)\) is an \(m\times m\) matrix with suitably smooth elements \(a_{ij}\) \((i, j= 1,\dots, n)\), the sourse term \(F(u)= (F_1(u),\dots, F_n(u))^T\) is given vector function of \(u\) with smooth elements and \(F(0)= 0\), \(\nabla F(0)= 0\). By hyperbolicity, \(A(u)\) has \(n\) real eigenvalues \(\lambda_1(u),\dots, \lambda_n(u)\) and a complete set of left (resp. right) eigenvectors \(r_i(u)\) (resp. \(l_i(u)\)) corresponding to \(\lambda_i(u)\), \(i= 1,\dots, n\). Denote by \(u^i(s)\), \(i= 1,\dots, n\) the \(i\)th characteristic trajectory passing through \(u= 0\) at \(s= 0\). Assume that \(\lambda_i(u)< \lambda_n(u)\), \(i< n\) and \(\lambda_n\) satisfies \[ {d^l\lambda_n(u^n(s))\over ds^l}\Biggl|_{s=0}= 0\;(l= 0,\dots, \alpha), \] but \[ {d^{\alpha+ 1}\lambda_n(u^n(s))\over ds^{\alpha+ 1}}\Biggl|_{s=0}\neq 0, \] and \(\varphi\in C^1\) satisfies \[ \sup_{x\geq 0}\, \{(1+ x)(|\varphi(x)|+ |\varphi'(x)|)\}< \infty \] and \[ M_0= \Biggl(\sup_{x\geq 0}\,\Biggl(-{1\over\alpha!} {d^{\alpha+ 1}\lambda_n(u^n(s))\over dx^{\alpha+1}}\Biggl|_{s= 0}\Biggr)\, (l_n(0)\varphi(x))^\alpha|_n(0)\varphi(x)\Biggr)^{-1}> 0. \] Then there is \(\varepsilon_0> 0\) so small that for any \(\varepsilon\in (0, \varepsilon_0]\), the first-order derivative \(u_x\) of the \(C^1\) solution to the Cauchy problem must blow up in a finite time and the lifespan \(\widetilde T(\varepsilon)\) satisfies \(\lim_{\varepsilon\to 0+}(\varepsilon^{1+\alpha}\widetilde T(\varepsilon))= M_0\). Moreover, \(u_x\) tends to be unbounded as \(t\to\widetilde T(\varepsilon)\) on the existence domain \(\{(t, x)|0\leq t\leq\widetilde T(\varepsilon)\), \(x\geq x_n(t)\}\), where \(x= x_n(t)\) is the solution of \({dx_n(t)\over dt}= \lambda_n(u(t, x_n(t))), x_n(0)= 0\).