Asymptotic behaviour for small mass in the two-dimensional parabolic-elliptic Keller-Segel model (Q1034064)

The two-dimensional parabolic-elliptic Keller-Segel system (or Smoluchowski-Poisson equation) reads \[ \begin{aligned} \partial_t u & = \nabla\cdot \left( \nabla u - u \nabla v \right), \quad x\in\mathbb{R}^2, \;t>0,\cr v(x,t) & = - \frac{1}{2\pi} \int_{\mathbb{R}^2} \log{(|x-y|)}\;u(y,t) dy. \end{aligned} \] It is now well-known that, given a nonnegative and integrable inital condition \(u_0\), the corresponding solution \(u\) blows up in finite time when \(\|u_0\|_1>8\pi\) and exists globally if \(\|u_0\|_1\leq 8\pi\). If \(\|u_0\|_1<8\pi\), it is also known that \(u(t)\) converges as \(t\to\infty\) towards the unique self-similar solution to the equation with mass \(\|u_0\|_1\). This result is refined here by providing a rate of convergence for small values of \(\|u_0\|_1\). More precisely, assuming that \(M=\|u_0\|_1<8\pi\) and introducing the rescaled version \(n\) of \(u\) defined by \[ u(x,t) = {1\over 1+2t}\;n\left( {x\over \sqrt{1+2t}} , {1\over 2} \log{(1+2t)} \right), \] it is known that there is a unique function \(n_{\infty,M}\) such that \(\| n_{\infty,M}\|_1=M\) and \(\| n(t)-n_{\infty,M}\|_1\to 0\) as \(t\to\infty\). This result is improved here by showing that, if \(M\in (0,M_*)\) for some \(M_*\in (0,8\pi)\) sufficiently small, there is \(\delta(M)>0\) such that \[ \int_{\mathbb{R}^2} {| n(x,t) -n_{\infty,M}(x)|^2 \over n_{\infty,M}(x)} dx \leq C\;e^{-\delta(M) t} \] for a suitable class of initial data \(u_0\) with \(\|u_0\|_1=M\). In addition, \(\delta(M)\to 1\) as \(M\to 0\). The smallness condition on \(M\) is in particular needed to obtain a spectral gap estimate for the linearization of the equation for \(n\) around \(n_{\infty,M}\).