B2.17

Partial Differential Equations
Part II, 2002

(a) Define the convolution fgf * g of two functions. Write down a formula for a solution u:[0,)×RnRu:[0, \infty) \times \mathbb{R}^{n} \rightarrow \mathbb{R} to the initial value problem

utΔu=0\frac{\partial u}{\partial t}-\Delta u=0

together with the boundary condition

u(0,x)=f(x)u(0, x)=f(x)

for ff a bounded continuous function on Rn\mathbb{R}^{n}. Comment briefly on the uniqueness of the solution.

(b) State and prove the Duhamel principle giving the solution (for t>0t>0 ) to the equation

utΔu=g\frac{\partial u}{\partial t}-\Delta u=g

together with the boundary condition

u(0,x)=f(x)u(0, x)=f(x)

in terms of your answer to (a).

(c) Show that if v:[0,)×RnRv:[0, \infty) \times \mathbb{R}^{n} \rightarrow \mathbb{R} is the solution to

vtΔv=G\frac{\partial v}{\partial t}-\Delta v=G

together with the boundary condition

v(0,x)=f(x)v(0, x)=f(x)

with G(t,x)g(t,x)G(t, x) \leq g(t, x) for all (t,x)(t, x) then v(t,x)u(t,x)v(t, x) \leq u(t, x) for all (t,x)(0,)×Rn(t, x) \in(0, \infty) \times \mathbb{R}^{n}.

Finally show that if in addition there exists a point (t0,x0)\left(t_{0}, x_{0}\right) at which there is strict inequality in the assumption i.e.

G(t0,x0)<g(t0,x0)G\left(t_{0}, x_{0}\right)<g\left(t_{0}, x_{0}\right)

then in fact

v(t,x)<u(t,x)v(t, x)<u(t, x)

whenever t>t0t>t_{0}.