Evolution equations for nonlinear degenerate parabolic PDE (Q2492472)

The authors study the following initial boundary value problem \[ \begin{aligned} & u_t - \Delta v = f(x,t),\quad v \in \beta(u), \quad \text{in } (0,T)\times\Omega, \\ & v = g(x),\quad \text{on } (0,T)\times\partial\Omega,\\ & u(0,x) = u_0(x),\quad \text{in } \Omega. \end{aligned} \] Here, \(\Omega\) is a bounded domain in \(\mathbb R^N\) (\(N\geq 1\)) with the smooth boundary \(\partial\Omega\); \(\beta\) is an arbitrary (possibly multi-valued) maximal graph in \(\mathbb R\times \mathbb R\); \(f\), \(g\) and \(u_0\) are given functions. The main aim of this article is to rewrite the above-mentioned initial boundary value problem as the Cauchy problem of an evolution equation in a Hilbert space: \[ \begin{aligned} & u'(t) + \partial\varphi(u(t)) \ni f^*(t),\quad 0 < t < T,\\ & u(0) = u_0. \end{aligned} \] Here \(f^*(t) = f(t) + \Delta g\). A lower-semicontinuous and convex function \(\varphi\) is given on the Hilbert space \(H^{-1}(\Omega)\), so that its subdifferential \(\partial\varphi\) generates the evolution equation. This enables to introduce a weak formulation of a class of nonlinear, degenerate, singular and noncoercive parabolic equations with an arbitrary maximal monotone graph and with the Dirichlet boundary condition. The first main result is concerned with the subdifferential formulation of the initial boundary value problem under consideration. The second main result asserts its solvability by virtue of the theory of subdifferential evolution equations and an estimate in \(L^2\) of the solution.