Finite-time blow-up of \(L^\infty \)-weak solutions of an aggregation equation (Q973205)

Consider the evolution equation \(u_t+\nabla\cdot [(\nabla K*u)u]=0\) with nonnegative initial data \(u(\cdot,0)\) in \(L^1(\mathbb R^n)\cap L^{\infty}(\mathbb R^n)\) for \(n\geq 2\). This equation arises in the study of animal aggregations and material science. Here the kernel \(K\) is assumed to be rotationally invariant, nonnegative, decaying at infinity and having at worst a Lipschitz point at the origin. Under the additional technical conditions that \(\nabla K\in L^2(\mathbb R^2)\) and \(\Delta K\in L^1(\mathbb R^n)\cap L^p(\mathbb R^n)\) for some \(p\in [p^*,2]\) where \({1\over p^*}=\frac12+\frac1n\), the authors show the existence and uniqueness of weak solutions. Finite-time blow-up of the solutions is also considered.