We consider the Ginzburg–Landau equation in dimension two. We introduce a key notion of the vortex (interaction) energy. It is defined by minimizing the renormalized Ginzburg–Landau (free) energy functional over functions with a given set of zeros of given local indices. We find the asymptotic behaviour of the vortex energy as the inter-vortex distances grow. The leading term of the asymptotic expansion is the vortex self-energy while the next term is the classical Kirchhoff–Onsager Hamiltonian. To derive this expansion we use several novel techniques.

Results on the behaviour of a pendulum which is parametrically excited by large amplitude random loads at its pivot are presented, including a novel experimental case study. Thereby, it is dealt with a random excitation by a non-white Gaussian stochastic process with prescribed spectral density. Special focus is devoted to stochastic processes resulting from random sea wave elevation and the question whether random sea waves can lead to rotational motion of the parametrically excited pendulum. The motivation for such an experimental study is energy harvesting from ocean waves.

We study the existence of planar flames, in the case of a single-step chemical reaction with volumetric heat losses, with a general reaction term. We prove that for all positive Lewis numbers, and for small values of the heat loss rate parameter, two distinct solutions exist. We also give upper bounds for the flame speed and for the heat loss rate parameter. Moreover, we explicitly compute a lower bound for the unburned gases after reaction.

We review simple models of oil reservoirs and suggest some ideas for theoretical and numerical study of this important inverse problem. These models are formed by a system of an elliptic and a parabolic (or first-order hyperbolic) quasilinear partial differential equations. There are and probably there will be serious theoretical and computational difficulties mainly due to the degeneracy of the system. The practical value of the problem justifies efforts to improve the methods for its solution. We formulate ‘history matching’ as a problem of identification of two coefficients of this system. We consider global and local versions of this inverse problem and propose some approaches, including the use of the inverse conductivity problem and the structure of fundamental solutions. The global approach looks for properties of the ground in the whole domain, while the local one is aimed at recovery of these properties near wells. We discuss the use of the model proposed by Muskat which is a difficult free boundary problem. The inverse Muskat problem combines features of inverse elliptic and hyperbolic problems. We analyse its linearisation about a simple solution and show uniqueness and exponential instability for the linearisation.

The conserved phase field system with a small parameter in the n-dimensional case (n[les ]3) is considered. An asymptotic solution, describing the free interface dynamics, is constructed and justified. As the small parameter tends to zero, the limiting solution satisfies the modified Stefan problem with corrected Gibbs–Thomson law.

We study travelling-wave solutions for a reaction-diffusion system arising as a model for host-tissue degradation by bacteria. This system consists of a parabolic equation coupled with an ordinary differential equation. For large values of the ‘degradation-rate parameter’ solutions are well approximated by solutions of a Stefan-like free boundary problem, for which travelling-wave solutions can be found explicitly. Our aim is to prove the existence of travelling waves for all sufficiently large wave speeds for the original reaction-diffusion system and to determine the minimal speed. We prove that for all sufficiently large degradation rates, the minimal speed is identical to the minimal speed of the limit problem. In particular, in this parameter range, non-linear selection of the minimal speed occurs.

We model the axisymmetric unidirectional flow of a Herschel–Bulkley fluid with rheological parameters that depend linearly on pressure. Adopting an appropriate scaling, we formulate the mathematical problem in cylindrical geometry exploiting an integral formulation for the momentum equation in the unyielded part. We prove that, under suitable assumptions on the data of the problem, explicit solutions can be determined. In particular, we determine the position of the yield surface together with the pressure and velocity profiles. With the aid of some plots, we finally discuss the dependence of the solution on the physical parameters of the problem.

A new framework for modelling the evolution of the thermal bar system in a lake is presented. The model assumes that the thermal bar is located between two regions: the deeper region, where spring warming leads to overturning of the entire water column, and the near shore shallower region, where a stable surface layer is established. In this model the thermal bar moves out slightly more quickly than predicted by a simple thermal balance. Also, the horizontal extent of the thermal bar region increases as it moves out from the shore.

In this paper, we analyse the asymptotic system corresponding to a thin film flow with two different (immiscible) fluids, from theoretical and numerical points of view. We also compare this model to the Elrod-Adams one, which is the reference model in tribology, when cavitation phenomena occur.

This paper is concerned with the stability and instability of standing waves for the quasilinear Schrödinger equation of the form which has been derived in many models from mathematical physics. We find the exact threshold depending upon the interplay of quasilinear and nonlinear terms that separates stability and instability. More precisely, we prove that for α ∈ and odd p ∈ , when , the standing wave is stable, and when (where for N ≥ 3 and 2 α ċ 2* = +∞ for N = 2), the standing wave is strongly unstable. Our results show that the quasilinear term 2 α(△|φ|2α)|φ|2α−2φ makes the standing waves more stable, which is consistent with the physical phenomena.

Ovsiannikov's partially invariant solutions of differential equations generalize Lie's group invariant solutions. A partially invariant solution is only interesting if it cannot be discovered more readily as an invariant solution. Roughly, a partially invariant solution that can be discovered more directly by Lie's method is said to be reducible. In this paper, I develop conditions under which a partially invariant solution or a class of such solutions must be reducible, and use these conditions both to obtain non-reducible solutions to a system of hyperbolic conservation laws, and to demonstrate that some systems have no non-reducible solutions. I also demonstrate that certain elliptic systems have no non-reducible solutions.

A new two-phase model for concentrated suspensions is derived that incorporates a constitutive law combining the rheology for non-Brownian suspension and granular flow. The resulting model exhibits a yield-stress behaviour for the solid phase depending on the collision pressure. This property is investigated for the simple geometry of plane Poiseuille flow, where an unyielded or jammed zone of finite width arises in the centre of the channel. For the steady states of this problem, the governing equations are reduced to a boundary value problem for a system of ordinary differential equations and the conditions for existence of solutions with jammed regions are investigated using phase-space methods. For the general time-dependent case a new drift-flux model is derived using matched asymptotic expansions that takes into account the boundary layers at the walls and the interface between the yielded and unyielded region. The drift-flux model is used to numerically study the dynamic behaviour of the suspension flow, including the appearance and evolution of an unyielded or jammed regions.

We propose a numerical method for the simulation of a quasi-linear parabolic biofilm model that exhibits three non-linear diffusion effects: (i) a power law degeneracy, (ii) a super diffusion singularity and (iii) non-linear cross-diffusion. The method is based on a spatial Finite Volume discretisation in which cross-diffusion terms are formally treated as convection terms. Time-integration of the resulting semi-discretised system is carried out using an error-controlled, time-adaptive, embedded Rosenbrock–Wanner method. We compare several variants of the method and two variants of the model to investigate how details such as the choice cross-diffusion coefficients, and specific variants of the time integrator affect simulation time.

The notion of polarization tensor is employed for the derivation of the leading-order boundary perturbations in the steady-state voltage potentials that are due to the presence of conductivity inclusions of small diameter. Recently, Capdeboscq and Vogelius obtained optimal bounds of Hashin-Shtrikman type for the trace of the polarization tensor, showing that every pair satisfying these optimal bounds arises as the eigenvalues of a polarization tensor associated with a coated ellipse. In this paper, we give numerical evidence of the fact that the set of possible polarization tensor eigenvalue pairs can also be obtained using simply connected domains. Our numerical computations are based on a boundary integral method.

The degenerate Cahn–Hilliard equation is a standard model to describe living tissues. It takes into account cell populations undergoing short-range attraction and long-range repulsion effects. In this framework, we consider the usual Cahn–Hilliard equation with a singular single-well potential and degenerate mobility. These degeneracy and singularity induce numerous difficulties, in particular for its numerical simulation. To overcome these issues, we propose a relaxation system formed of two second-order equations which can be solved with standard packages. This system is endowed with an energy and an entropy structure compatible with the limiting equation. Here, we study the theoretical properties of this system: global existence and convergence of the relaxed system to the degenerate Cahn–Hilliard equation. We also study the long-time asymptotics which interest relies on the numerous possible steady states with given mass.

Recent numerical evidence [8, 28, 33] suggests that in the Hele–Shaw suction problem with vanishingly small surface tension $\gamma$, the free boundary generically approaches the sink in a wedge-like configuration, blow-up occurring when the wedge apex reaches the sink. Sometimes two or more such wedges approach the sink simultaneously [33]. We construct a family of solutions to the zero-surface tension (ZST) problem in which fluid is injected at the (coincident) apices of an arbitrary number $N$ of identical infinite wedges, of arbitrary angle. The time reversed suction problem then models what is observed numerically with non-zero surface tension. We conjecture that (for a given value of $N$) a particular member of this family of ZST solutions, with special complex plane singularity structure, is selected in the limit $\gamma\,{\to}\,0$.

We present a full classification of the short-time behaviour of the interfaces and local solutions to the nonlinear parabolic p-Laplacian type reaction–diffusion equation of non-Newtonian elastic filtration:

$$\begin{equation*} u_t-\Big(|u_x|^{p-2}u_x\Big)_x+bu^{\beta}=0, \ p>2, \beta >0. \end{equation*}$$

We revisit the theory of filtration (slow fluid motion) through a horizontal porous stratum under the usual conditions of gently sloping fluid height profile. We start by considering the model for flooding followed by natural outflow through the endwall of the stratum, which has an explicit dipole solution as generic intermediate asymptotics. We then propose a model for forced drainage which leads to a new kind of free boundary problem for the Boussinesq equation, where the flux is prescribed as well as the height h=0 on the new free boundary. Its qualitative behaviour is described in terms of its self-similar solutions. We point out that such a class of self-similar solutions corresponds to a continuous spectrum, to be compared with the discrete spectrum of the standard Cauchy problem for the porous medium equation. This difference is due to the freedom in the choice of the flux condition allowed in our problem setting. We also consider the modifications introduced in the above models by the consideration of capillary retention of a part of the fluid. In all cases we restrict consideration to one-dimensional geometries for convenience and brevity. It is to be noted however that similar problems can be naturally posed in multi-dimensional geometries. Finally, we propose a number of related control questions, which are most relevant in the application and need a careful analysis.

The reformulation of one-phase Stefan problems, by use of a Baiocchi-type transformation, as ‘oxygen-diffusion’ problems, makes it possible to compare different solutions. The comparison extends to ‘zero-specific-heat’ cases, which are better known, in two dimensions, as Hele-Shaw problems. Known solutions of Hele-Shaw problems can be used to bound and estimate asymptotic behaviour of solutions to Stefan problems. The use of similar techniques gives rise to some exact solutions of ‘squeeze-film’ problems and some limited results concerning continuity.

This paper presents a new class of solutions for steady nonlinear capillary waves on a curved sheet of fluid in the plane. The solutions are exact in that the free surfaces of the sheet and the associated flow field can be found in closed form. The solutions are generalizations of the classic solutions for finite amplitude waves on fluid sheets [5] to the case where the fluid sheets are curved.