Convergence rates for the Allen-Cahn equation with boundary contact energy: the non-perturbative regime

DOI10.1007/S00526-022-02307-3MaRDI QIDQ2674622zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Sebastian Hensel, Maximilian Moser

Publication date 14 September 2022

Published in Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations (Search for Journal in Brave)

Copyright license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.11173

zbMATH Keywords

Allen-Cahn equationgradient flow calibrationsmean curvature flownonlinear Robin boundary conditionrelative entropy

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Initial-boundary value problems for second-order parabolic equations (35K20) Reaction-diffusion equations (35K57) Nonlinear initial, boundary and initial-boundary value problems for nonlinear parabolic equations (35K61) Flows related to mean curvature (53E10)

Abstract: We extend the recent rigorous convergence result of Abels and the second author (arXiv preprint 2105.08434) concerning convergence rates for solutions of the Allen-Cahn equation with a nonlinear Robin boundary condition towards evolution by mean curvature flow with constant contact angle. More precisely, in the present work we manage to remove the perturbative assumption on the contact angle being close to ninety degree. We establish under usual double-well type assumptions on the potential and for a certain class of boundary energy densities the sub-optimal convergence rate of order $smashvarepsilo{n}^{frac12}$ for general contact angles $alphain(0,pi)$. For a very specific form of the boundary energy density, we even obtain from our methods a sharp convergence rate of order $varepsilon$; again for general contact angles $alphain(0,pi)$. Our proof deviates from the popular strategy based on rigorous asymptotic expansions and stability estimates for the linearized Allen-Cahn operator. Instead, we follow the recent approach by Fischer, Laux and Simon (SIAM J. Math. Anal. 52, 2020), thus relying on a relative entropy technique. We develop a careful adaptation of their approach in order to encode the constant contact angle condition. In fact, we perform this task at the level of the notion of gradient flow calibrations. This concept was recently introduced in the context of weak-strong uniqueness for multiphase mean curvature flow by Fischer, Laux, Simon and the first author (arXiv preprint 2003.05478).

Review text

Consider the mean curvature flow of an interface lying in a bounded domain \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^d\) such that the interface intersects the domain boundary \(\partial\Omega\) at a constant angle \(\alpha\in (0,\pi)\). This flow can be represented as an \(L^2\)-gradient flow of a suitable energy functional with two contributions: an interfacial energy in the interior of \(\Omega\), and a surface energy along \(\partial\Omega\). In general, an interface evolving under this flow undergoes changes in topology and develops geometric singularities. This makes the study of the global dynamics difficult in the context of parametrized surfaces with boundary. A common approach to study this kind of problem is to introduce an order parameter \(u\) which takes values close to \(\pm 1\) on opposite sides of the interface, while the interface is represented by the region in which the order parameter undergoes a transition between these two values. This approximating problem can be modeled by the standard Cahn-Hilliard energy associated with a double well potential \(W\) for the interior contribution, coupled with a boundary contact energy density \(\sigma\). This leads to the following Ansatz for the total energy functional of the order parameter: \[ E_\varepsilon [u] = \int_\Omega \left( \frac{\varepsilon}{2} |\nabla u|^2 + \frac{1}{\varepsilon} W(u) \right) dx + \int_{\partial\Omega} \sigma(u)\, d\mathcal{H}^{d-1}. \] The associated (\(\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\)-accelerated) \(L^2\)-gradient flow leads to the standard Allen-Cahn equation: \[ \partial_t u_\varepsilon = \Delta u_\varepsilon - \frac{1}{\varepsilon^2} W'(u_\varepsilon) \quad\mbox{in}\quad \Omega\times(0,T), \qquad u_\varepsilon|_{t=0} = u_{\varepsilon,0} \quad\mbox{in}\quad\Omega \tag{1} \] coupled with a nonlinear Robin boundary condition \[ (n_{\partial\Omega}\cdot \nabla)u_\varepsilon = \frac{1}{\varepsilon} \sigma'(u_\varepsilon) \quad\mbox{on}\quad \partial\Omega\times(0,T), \tag{2} \] where \(n_{\partial\Omega}\) denotes the inner unit normal vector field to \(\partial\Omega\). Recently \textit{H. Abels} and \textit{M. Moser} [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 54, No. 1, 114--172 (2022; Zbl 1485.35020)] proved rigorous convergence results (for \(d=2\)) for solutions of Equations (1) and (2) towards the mean curvature flow with constant contact angle close to \(\pi/2\), under the assumption the latter problem has a smooth solution on some time interval \((0,T_0)\). Here the authors remove the restriction on the contact angle being close to \(\pi/2\). Under standard double well assumptions on \(W\) and for a certain class of boundary energy densities \(\sigma\) they prove the sub-optimal convergence rate of order \(\varepsilon^{1/2}\) for general contact angles \(\alpha\in (0,\pi)\). In addition, for a very specific form of the boundary energy density they obtain a sharp convergence rate of order \(\varepsilon\), again for \(\alpha\in (0,\pi)\). Instead of using the popular strategy of rigorous asymptotic expansions and stability estimates for the linearized Allen-Cahn operator, they adapt a recent approach of \textit{J. Fischer} et al. [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 52, No. 6, 6222--6233 (2020; Zbl 1454.53079)] based on a relative entropy technique. They also use the notion of gradient flow calibrations introduced recently by \textit{J. Fischer} et al. [``The local structure of the energy landscape in multiphase mean curvature flow: weak-strong uniqueness and stability of evolutions, Preprint, \url{arXiv:2003.05478}].

Recommendations

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• Convergence of the Allen-Cahn equation with Neumann boundary conditions
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Cited in

(19)

• (Non)-convergence of solutions of the convective Allen-Cahn equation
• Convergence to equilibrium for a bulk-surface Allen-Cahn system coupled through a nonlinear Robin boundary condition
• Convergence of the Allen-Cahn equation with a zero Neumann boundary condition on non-convex domains
• Passing from bulk to bulk-surface evolution in the Allen-Cahn equation
• The singular limit of a vector-valued reaction-diffusion process
• Convergence of the Allen-Cahn equation with a nonlinear Robin boundary condition to mean curvature flow with contact angle close to \(90^\circ\)
• Convergence rates of the Allen-Cahn equation to mean curvature flow: a short proof based on relative entropies
• Convergence of the scalar- and vector-valued Allen–Cahn equation to mean curvature flow with 90°-contact angle in higher dimensions, part I: Convergence result
• The Sharp Interface Limit of a Navier–Stokes/Allen–Cahn System with Constant Mobility: Convergence Rates by a Relative Energy Approach
• Weak-strong uniqueness for volume-preserving mean curvature flow
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 7730357 (Why is no real title available?)
• Quantitative convergence of the vectorial Allen-Cahn equation towards multiphase mean curvature flow
• Approximation of classical two-phase flows of viscous incompressible fluids by a Navier-Stokes/Allen-Cahn system
• Convergence of a heterogeneous Allen-Cahn equation to weighted mean curvature flow
• Consistency of minimizing movements with smooth mean curvature flow of droplets with prescribed contact angle in \(\mathbb{R}^3\)
• Diffuse-interface approximation and weak-strong uniqueness of anisotropic mean curvature flow
• Quantitative convergence of the nonlocal Allen-Cahn equation to volume-preserving mean curvature flow
• The vector-valued Allen-Cahn equation with potentials of high-dimensional double wells under Robin boundary conditions
• Well-posedness and sharp interface limit of a non-isothermal Navier-Stokes/Allen-Cahn model

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