Global solutions for the critical, higher-degree corotational harmonic map heat flow to \mathbb{S}^2

Authors Stephen Gustafson, Dimitrios Roxanas

Publication date 17 November 2017

Asymptotic behavior of solutions to PDEs (35B40) Smoothness and regularity of solutions to PDEs (35B65) Heat equation (35K05)

Abstract: We study m-corotational solutions to the Harmonic Map Heat Flow from

m a t h b b R^{2}

to

m a t h b b S^{2}

. We first consider maps of zero topological degree, with initial energy below the threshold given by twice the energy of the harmonic map solutions. For

m g e q 2

, we establish the smooth global existence and decay of such solutions via the {it concentration-compactness} approach of Kenig-Merle, recovering classical results of Struwe by this alternate method. The proof relies on a profile decomposition, and the energy dissipation relation. We then consider maps of degree

m

and initial energy above the harmonic map threshold energy, but below three times this energy. For

m g e q 4

, we establish the smooth global existence of such solutions, and their decay to a harmonic map (stability), extending results of Gustafson-Nakanishi-Tsai to higher energies. The proof rests on a stability-type argument used to rule out finite-time bubbling.

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