On relaxation hyperbolic systems violating the Shizuta-Kawashima condition (Q982266)

Stability results in \(L^2\) are available for hyperbolic systems with zero order nonlinear term under the Shizuta-Kawashima condition. The latter is restrictive in two respects: first the set of equilibria in 1D is made of constant states and, second, the stability is understood in the asymptotic sense. In this paper the authors propose a quite formal extension to the above mentioned theory considering the stability around traveling waves for the partially dissipative hyperbolic system \[ U_t+F(U)_x=G(U),\quad U=\binom{u}{v},\quad G(U)=\binom{0}{q(U)}. \] Their analysis still relies on a dissipative entropy whose existence is shown when \((u,v)\in\mathbb{R}^2\), under a subcharacteristic condition already introduced in [\textit{G. B. Witham}, Linear and nonlinear waves. Pure and Applied Mathematics. New York, NY: John Wiley \& Sons (1999; Zbl 0940.76001)]. Then, investigating the decrease of the entropy around a non constant equilibrium, the authors are led to replace the Shizuta-Kawashima condition by some degeneracy condition: ``Poorly speaking, the flux \(F\) has to be linear along the equilibrium manifold defined by \(G\).'' Under further structural assumptions and in the one-dimensional case a \(H^2\) estimate is proved.