PDE-Applied Math Archives for Fall 2022 to Spring 2023


On preservation of moduli of continuity by parabolic evolution

When: Thu, September 9, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Hussain Ibdah (University of Maryland College Park ) - https://www.math.umd.edu/~hibdah/
Abstract: In this talk, we will investigate the propagation of Lipschitz regularity by solutions to various nonlinear, nonlocal parabolic equations. We will locally analyze models such as the Michelson-Sivashinsky equation, incompressible Navier-Stokes system, and advection diffusion problems that include the dissipative SQG equation. Depending on the model, we will either show global well-posedness, derive new regularity criteria, or provide different proofs to and generalize previously obtained results. In particular, we will show that for abstract drift-diffusion problems, it is possible to break certain, supercritical Holder-type barriers and get regularity, which is rather surprising.

Finite time singularities for nematic liquid crystal flow and Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation

When: Thu, September 23, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Yifu Zhou (Johns Hopkins University) - https://math.jhu.edu/~yzhou173/
Abstract: In this talk, we consider nematic liquid crystal flow (NLCF) and Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation (LLG) in \R^2. (NLCF) is a system strongly coupling the nonhomogeneous incompressible Navier-Stokes equation and the transported harmonic map heat flow, while (LLG) serves as the basic evolution equation for the spin fields in the continuum theory of ferromagnetism. We will investigate how parabolic gluing method can be developed and applied to construct finite time blow-up solutions. This talk is based on joint works with Chen-Chih Lai, Fanghua Lin, Changyou Wang, Juncheng Wei and Qidi Zhang.

Weyl formulae for Schrodinger operators with critically singular potentials

When: Thu, October 7, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Xiaoqi Huang (University of Maryland) - https://sites.google.com/view/xiaoqi-math/
Abstract: In this talk we shall discuss generalizations of classical versions of the Weyl formula involving Schr\"odinger
operators $H_V=-\Delta_g+V(x)$ on compact boundaryless Riemannian manifolds with critically singular
potentials $V$. In particular, we extend the classical results of Avakumovi\'{c}, Levitan and H\"ormander by obtaining $O(\lambda^{n-1})$ bounds for the error term
in the Weyl formula in the universal case when we merely assume that $V$ belongs to the Kato class,
${\mathcal K}(M)$, which is the minimal assumption to ensure that $H_V$ is essentially self-adjoint and
bounded from below or has favorable heat kernel bounds. We shall discuss both local point-wise and integral versions of Weyl formulae, and also improvements over the
error term under certain geometric conditions. This is based on joint work with Christopher Sogge and Cheng Zhang.

Evolution of mesoscopic interactions and scattering solutions of the Boltzmann equation

When: Thu, October 14, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: https://umd.zoom.us/j/92329363134?pwd=KzBtRHo2dm5VUm5PU0hHWnNCSzJ1UT09
Speaker: Nima Moini (Berkley) - https://math.berkeley.edu/~nima/
Abstract: In this talk we will highlight some recent discoveries in kinetic theory. We will develop an uncertainty principle, new a-priori bounds and the concept of a blind cone with respect to an observer for the evolution particles in the mesoscopic scale solely based on conservation laws. We will show that the energy within any bounded set of the spatial variable is integrable over time. We will also discuss a generalization of these results for the 2-particle interactions and establish analogies to Morawetz and interaction Morawetz estimates for the nonlinear Schrodinger equation. We will demonstrate some applications for these estimates by showing that the total mass of the particles and interactions concentrate within a specific collection of arbitrarily acute blind cones with respect to any observer. This implies that, as uncertainty inevitably increases, particles will move away in a radial manner from any fixed observer thereby erasing the angular component of momentum. These results are independent of the specific structure of interactions, therefore they are also true for the Boltzmann equation. We will end the talk with a discussion about the Boltzmann equation. We will show the existence and uniqueness of a specific class of classical solutions to the Boltzmann equation with small initial data near vacuum. These solutions scatter to linear states in the $L^{\infty}$ norm, uniformly within any compact set of the spatial variable. Furthermore, we will discuss the asymptotic completeness of this class of solutions and establish another connection with the case of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation. Notably, this shows that solutions of the Boltzmann equation do not necessarily converge to a Maxwellian but can scatter to linear states arbitrarily close to any prescribed linear state.

Tools for multimodal sampling

When: Thu, October 21, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Michael Lindsey (Courant Institute-NYU) - https://quantumtative.github.io
Abstract: The task of sampling from a probability distribution with known density arises almost ubiquitously in the mathematical sciences, from Bayesian inference to computational chemistry. The most generic and widely-used method for this task is Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), though this method typically suffers from extremely long autocorrelation times when the target density has many modes that are separated by regions of low probability. We present several new methods for sampling that can be viewed as addressing this common problem, drawing on techniques from MCMC, graphical models, and tensor networks.

On the 2D Peskin problem

When: Thu, October 28, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Robert Strain (University of Pennsylvania) - https://www2.math.upenn.edu/~strain/
The Peskin problem models the dynamics of a closed elastic string immersed in an incompressible 2D stokes fluid. This set of equations was proposed as a simplified model to study blood flow through heart valves. The immersed boundary formulation of this problem has been widely and has proven very useful in particular giving rise to the immersed boundary method in numerical analysis. Proving the existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions is vitally useful for this system in particular to guarantee that numerical methods based upon different formulations of the problem all converge to the same solution.

In one project ``The Peskin Problem with Viscosity Contrast'', which is a joint work with Yoichiro Mori and Eduardo Garcia-Juarez, we consider the case when the inner and outer viscosities can be different. This viscosity contrast adds further non-local effects to the system through the implicit non-local relation between the net force and the free interface. We prove the first global well-posedness result for the Peskin problem in this setting. The result applies for medium size initial interfaces in critical spaces and shows instant analytic smoothing. We carefully calculate the medium size constraint on the initial data. These results are new even without viscosity contrast.

In another project ``Critical local well-posedness for the fully nonlinear Peskin problem'', which is a joint work with Stephen Cameron, we consider the case with equal viscosities but with a fully non-linear tension law. This situation has been called the fully nonlinear Peskin problem. In this case we prove local wellposedness for arbitrary initial data in the scaling critical Besov space \dot{B}^{3/2}_{2,1}. We additionally prove the high order smoothing effects for the solution. To prove this result we in particular derive a new formulation of the equation that describes the parametrization of the string, and we crucially utilize a new cancellation structure.

This talk will I explain a bit about both of these recent results and their proofs.

Asymptotic stability of kinks in 1D nonlinear scalar field theories

When: Thu, November 4, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Jonas Luhrmann (Texas A&M University) - https://www.math.tamu.edu/~luhrmann/
Abstract: Nonlinear scalar field theories on the line such as the phi^4 model or the sine-Gordon model feature soliton solutions called kinks. They are expected to form the building blocks of the long-time dynamics for these models. In this talk I will survey recent progress on the asymptotic stability problem for kinks and I will present a recent result (joint work with W. Schlag) on the asymptotic stability of the sine-Gordon kink under odd perturbations.

Linear vortex symmetrization: the spectral density function approach and Gevrey regularity

When: Thu, November 11, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Hao Jia (University of Minnesota) - https://www-users.cse.umn.edu/~jia/



Abstract: The two-dimensional incompressible Euler equation is globally well-posed but the long-time behavior is very difficult to understand due to the lack of global relaxation mechanism. Numerical simulations and physical experiments show that coherent vortices often become a dominant feature in two-dimensional fluid dynamics for a long time. The mathematical analysis of vortices, especially in connection to the so-called `vortex symmetrization` problem, has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In this talk, after a quick review of recent developments in the study of nonlinear asymptotic stability of shear flows and the symmetrization problem for (the special case of) point vortices, we turn to the general vortex symmetrization problem and report a recent result with A. Ionescu for the linearized flow. The linearized problem has been analyzed before by Bedrossian-Coti Zelati-Vicol who obtained control on the profile of the vorticity field in Sobolev spaces with limited regularity. Our main new discovery is that in the vortex problem, unlike the shear flow case, it is no longer possible to obtain smooth control uniformly in time on a single modulated profile for the vorticity field. Rather, there are two such profiles. To address this issue (for future nonlinear applications), we propose instead to control a new object, the so-called `spectral density function`, which is naturally associated with the linearized flow and can be bounded, for the linearized flow at least, in the same Gevrey space as the initial data.

On the emergence of a quantum Boltzmann equation at the presence of a Bose-Einstein condensate

When: Thu, November 18, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: https://umd.zoom.us/j/96903133168?pwd=ZG55WWhiMkdSTXJUcWMwc2FCMitHUT09
Speaker: Michael Hott (The University of Texas at Austin ) - https://web.ma.utexas.edu/users/mhott/
Abstract: The mathematically rigorous derivation of a nonlinear Boltzmann equation from first principles is an extremely active research area. In classical physical systems, this has been achieved in various models, based on a variety of fundamental works. In the quantum case, the problem has essentially remained open. I will explain how a cubic quantum Boltzmann equation arises within the fluctuation dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate, starting with the von Neumann equation for an interacting Boson gas. This is based on joint work with Thomas Chen.

TBA

When: Thu, December 2, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where:


Traveling wave solutions to the free boundary Navier-Stokes equations

When: Thu, December 9, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Ian Tice (Carnegie Mellon Unversity ) - https://www.math.cmu.edu/~iantice/
Abstract: Consider a layer of viscous incompressible fluid bounded below by a flat rigid boundary and above by a moving boundary. The fluid is subject to gravity, surface tension, and an external stress that is stationary when viewed in a coordinate system moving at a constant velocity parallel to the lower boundary. The latter can model, for instance, a tube blowing air on the fluid while translating across the surface. In this talk we will detail the construction of traveling wave solutions to this problem, which are themselves stationary in the same translating coordinate system. While such traveling wave solutions to the Euler equations are well-known, to the best of our knowledge this is the first construction of such solutions with viscosity. This is joint work with Giovanni Leoni.

Dissipation enhancing flows and applications

When: Thu, December 16, 2021 - 3:30pm
Where: https://umd.zoom.us/j/97664034062?pwd=L1dObFJMN0tQVHpKQ3JWUDBRaVFOdz09
Speaker: Yuanyuan Feng (Penn State) -

Abstract: In this talk, we would first introduce the dissipation enhancing flows. We would focus on the dissipation time of mixing flows, shear flows and the planar helical flows. Then we will apply these flows to Kuramoto Sivashinsky equations in 2d or 3d to get global existence of the solution.

Quantitative convergence analysis of hypocoercive sampling dynamics

When: Thu, March 3, 2022 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Lihan Wang (CMU ) - https://sites.google.com/view/lihan/about-me
Abstract: In this talk, we will discuss some advances on quantitative analysis of convergence of hypocoercive sampling dynamics, including underdamped Langevin dynamics, randomized Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, zigzag process and bouncy particle sampler. The analysis is based on a variational framework for hypocoercivity which combines a Poincare-type inequality in time-augmented state space and an L^2 energy estimate. Joint works with Yu Cao (NYU) and Jianfeng Lu (Duke). If time permits, I will also present our latest results with Yulong Lu (UMass Amherst) and Dejan Slepcev (CMU) on convergence rate of the idealized birth-death dynamics.



Navier-Stokes equations at the boundary

When: Thu, March 10, 2022 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Toan Nguyen (Penn State ) - http://www.personal.psu.edu/ttn12/
Abstract: The talk is to give an overview of the inviscid limit problem of Navier-Stokes equations at the boundary. In particular, an analyticity framework will be presented to capture some physics, namely the presence of smaller viscous sublayers at the boundary, that were not present for analytic data.

Singularity formation in the incompressible fluids

When: Wed, March 16, 2022 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Tarek Elgindi (Duke University ) - https://scholars.duke.edu/person/Tarek.Elgindi

Abstract: I will discuss recent progress on finite time singularity formation in the incompressible Euler equation.

Phase transition in stochastic diffusion on graphs

When: Thu, March 17, 2022 - 3:30pm
Where: https://umd.zoom.us/j/97541177996?pwd=OHRQcjZtNUI1UmQxdXZJY1FBMkgvdz09
Speaker: Inbar Seroussi (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel) -
Abstract: Stochastic dynamics on large-scale networks has attracted a lot of attention due to its wide occurrence in many disciplines, such as social sciences, physics, biology, communication, and control theory. We propose and study a stochastic dynamical model with multiplicative noise. It consists of a stochastic differential equation living on a graph. It can also be interpreted as a KPZ equation on a graph or as a directed polymer in random media. We also present a new application of the model in the context of diffusion Magnetic Resonance (MR). This model is studied extensively on lattice topology (ℤ𝑑) and in the continuum limit (ℝ𝑑). We study the model on general infinite graphs and random walks. We provide sufficient conditions for the existence or non-existence of phase transitions in terms of properties of the graph and of the random walk. We study in some detail various graph structures manifesting different phenomena that illustrate counter-examples to intuitive extensions of the simple random walk on the lattice. This is a Joint work with Nir sochen, Clement Cosco and Ofer Zeitouni.

Invariant Gibbs measures for the cubic nonlinear wave equation

When: Thu, April 7, 2022 - 3:30pm
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Bjoern Bringmann (IAS) - https://sites.google.com/view/bbringmann/home
Abstract: In this talk, we prove the invariance of the Gibbs measure for the three-dimensional
cubic nonlinear wave equation, which is also known as the hyperbolic \Phi_3^4-model. In the first half of this talk, we illustrate our main objects and questions through Hamiltonian ODEs, which serve as a toy-model. We also connect our theorem with classical and recent developments in constructive QFT, dispersive PDEs, and stochastic PDEs. In the second half of this talk, we first discuss the construction and properties of the Gibbs measure. Then, we turn to the most difficult aspect of our argument, which is the probabilistic well-posedness of the cubic nonlinear wave equation. This part combines ingredients from dispersive equations, harmonic analysis, and probability theory. This is joint work with Y. Deng, A. Nahmod, and H. Yue.

Cahn-Hilliard equation(s): separation or not?

When: Thu, April 14, 2022 - 3:30pm
Where: https://umd.zoom.us/j/95573480256?pwd=enA2MXR5UGJSQm1ZU0oxOTZLRFZ5Zz09
Speaker: Andrea Giorgini (Imperial College) - https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.giorgini
Abstract: The Cahn-Hilliard equation is a famous diffuse interface (phase field) model proposed in material sciences to describe phase separation in binary alloys. This model is nowadays widely used in fluid mechanics, biology and image processing. The Cahn-Hilliard equation corresponds to the gradient flow associated with the Ginzburg-Landau free energy with Flory-Huggins potential subject to the mass conservation constraint. Although the global well-posedness is by now well-known, some issues concerning the regularity of the solutions and the so-called separation property remain unsolved. In this talk, I will discuss some open questions and partial answers for local and nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equations.

Stability of solitary waves of the NLS equation

When: Thu, April 21, 2022 - 3:30pm
Where: Join Zoom Meeting https://umd.zoom.us/j/99069420896?pwd=L3RZNWhvTEkvLzVJVi81Y1hjejQvZz09
Speaker: Katherine Zhiyuan Zhang (NYU ) - https://sites.google.com/view/zhiyuanzhang/home
Abstract: We consider the asymptotic stability of the solitary waves of 1D NLS equations, under the assumption that the linearized operator is generic (no endpoint resonance) and has no internal modes. Moreover, we also consider the 1D nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation with a potential, and give a result on small date existence. The method of analysis is based on the distorted Fourier transform. This is joint work with P. Germain and F. Pusateri.

Nondegenerate minimal submanifolds as energy concentration sets

When: Thu, April 28, 2022 - 3:30am
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Alessandro Pigati (NYU) - https://poisson.phc.dm.unipi.it/~pigati/
Abstract: Various energies of physical significance have been shown to effectively approximate the area functional, in codimension one and two.
These energies are defined on the set of functions on a given ambient manifold, and for critical points they tend to concentrate towards a (possibly singular) minimal submanifold.
In this talk we answer the converse problem: we show that any nondegenerate minimal submanifold of the corresponding codimension does arise in this way.
The strategy is entirely variational and generalizes a recent work for geodesics (by Colinet, Jerrard, and Sternberg), by extending two key g.m.t. results to arbitrary dimension.
(Joint work with Guido De Philippis)

Remarks on the long-time dynamics of 2D Euler

When: Thu, May 5, 2022 - 3:30am
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Theodore D. Drivas (Stony Brook University ) - http://www.math.stonybrook.edu/~tdrivas/
Abstract: We will discuss some old and new results concerning the long-time behavior of solutions to the two-dimensional incompressible Euler equations. Specifically, we discuss whether steady states can be isolated, wandering for solutions starting nearby certain steady states, singularity formation at infinite time, and finally some results/conjectures on the infinite-time limit near and far from equilibrium.

Global regularity for 2D Navier-Stokes free boundary with small viscosity contrast

When: Thu, May 12, 2022 - 3:30am
Where: Kirwan Hall 3206
Speaker: Francisco Gancedo (University of Seville, Spain ) - https://personal.us.es/fgancedo/
Abstract: We study the dynamics of two incompressible immiscible fluids in 2D modeled by the inhomogeneous Navier-Stokes equations. We show a new approach to prove that if initially the viscosity contrast is small then there is global-in-time regularity. The techniques allow to obtain preservation of the natural C1+γ Hölder regularity of the interface for all 0 < γ < 1 with low Sobolev regularity of the initial velocity without any extra technicality. In particular, it uses new quantitative harmonic analysis bounds for Cγ norms of even singular integral operators on characteristic functions of C1+γ domains.