PDE and applications seminar | Metz

We consider linear waves on a bounded domain where one part of the boundary is governed by a coupled lower-dimensional wave equation (i.e., dynamic Ventcel/Wentzell boundary condition) and is subject to viscous damping. The other (possibly empty) part is left at rest. When the dynamic boundary geometrically controls the domain, we show that the total energy of classical solutions decays like 1/t. The proof relies on an analysis of high-frequency quasimodes, suitable boundary estimates obtained in different microlocal regimes, and a special decoupling argument. Optimality is assessed via an appropriate quasimode construction.

Ongoing work with Nicolas Vanspranghe (Inria team DISCO, L2S –CentraleSupélec).

Résumé à venir

Bohr’s correspondence principle asserts that the predictions of classical and quantum mechanics coincide in the limit of large quantum numbers. This connection becomes especially striking when one studies Schrödinger-type equations for initial data minimising the uncertainty principle, known as “gaussian coherent states”, in the semiclassical limit. More precisely, in the context of quantum mechanics, one can derive a complete asymptotic expansion in the semiclassical parameter for solutions of such equations. The aim of this talk is to explain how to obtain a similar result in the framework of Quantum Field Theory for a certain class on analytic interactions, with a particular stress on spatially cutoff $P(\phi)_2$ interactions.

Résume à venir

Résumé à venir

The talk discusses two works of the author linking the topological properties, i.e. “something that can be seen”, with the analytical properties of dispersion relations in waveguides. The first example is related to a quantum waveguide, i.e. to a periodic (elongated in one dimension) graph-like structure consisting of edges bearing a wave equation and nodes considered as joints. In acoustics the edges are thin pipes. The problem of this research was to estimate the number of modes that can travel (or decay) in each direction along such a waveguide. The final result is as follows. One should build a graph consisting of a closed single cell of the periodic graph. The estimation of the number of modes is a maximum degree of a linear subgraph of this graph. Thus, although the consideration is held in the algebraic way (a determinant- like dispersion equation is solved), the answer is given in the graph language. The second example is related to 2D waveguiding structures that are layered in the transversal direction. It may happen that the group velocities of all waveguide modes are lower than the biggest velocity in one of the layers. In this case, one can observe a forerunner, i.e. a pulse travelling faster than all the modes and decaying exponentially. The problem is how to find it on the dispersion diagram of the waveguide. The result is as follows. The dispersion diagram should be considered as a multivalued analytical function of, say, temporal frequency, taken on its Riemann surface. The forerunner branch then can be found on the analytical continuation of the diagram. The branch point of the diagram describes interaction between the layers.

Le résumé se trouve ici

Le résumé se trouve ici.

Dispersion is the phenomenon in which the phase velocity of a wave depends on its frequency, or alternatively when the group velocity depends on the frequency. Examples of classical nonlinear dispersive equations are the (generalized) KdV equation, the Nonlinear Schrödinger equation, and the Boussinesq equation. In addition to the well-posedness it is known blow-up effect, for critical and super-critical cases that generally depend on the exponent p > 0 present in the nonlinearity of these equations. Dispersive blow-up is a focussing type of behavior which is due to both the unbounded domain in which the problem is set and the propensity of the dispersion relation to propagate energy at different speeds. On the other hand, a damping term can prevent this blow-up effect in the dispersive equations, and it is what is studied in several works, both for the KdV and for the Schrödinger equation.

Particles are used in several different ways in computational physics. For example one can study systems of point masses, point charges, or point vortices. Another approach considers the particle system as a discretization of a continuous PDE problem; in this case one is dealing with a particle method, as an alternative to the classical discretization methods such as finite-difference, finite-element, and spectral methods. Here we consider particle methods in two areas, (1) electrostatics of solvated proteins, where the particles are nodes in a triangulation of the molecular surface, and (2) incompressible fluid dynamics, where the particles represent the flow map and carry vorticity. We discuss the challenges facing particle methods and some techniques that improve their accuracy and efficiency, including adaptive refinement, remeshing, and treecode-acceleration.

Nous étudions l’existence et la stabilité des ondes périodiques pour un modèle non linéaire, l’équation de Lugiato-Lefever, issu de l’optique. En utilisant des méthodes de la théorie des bifurcations, nous étudions les bifurcations de Turing et montrons l’existence de solutions périodiques. Cette approche permet également de conclure sur la stabilité de ces solutions vis-à -vis de perturbations périodiques dont la période est un multiple entier de la période de l’onde. En utilisant ensuite de méthodes de la théorie des opérateurs, nous montrons la stabilité de ces solutions vis-à -vis de perturbations générales, bornées.

The localization of a critical point of minimum type of a smooth functional is obtained in a bounded convex conical set defined by a norm and a concave upper semicontinuous functional. The technique is then used for the localization and multiplicity of Nash equilibrium solutions of nonvariational systems. Applications are given to periodic problems.

La désintégration du boson W en un couple lepton-neutrino peut être modélisée par un opérateur autoadjoint agissant sur un espace de Fock, qui est un espace de Hilbert particulier. Les valeurs que peut prendre l’énergie du système physique correspondent au spectre de cet opérateur, qui peut être scindé en trois parties : le spectre ponctuel, absolument continu et singulièrement continu. Le sous-espace de Hilbert associé à  la partie absolument continue du spectre contient les états diffusés, c’est-à -dire étant localisés loin de l’expérience au bout d’un temps très long. Intuitivement, on s’attendrait à  ce que de tels états soient asymptotiquement libres (c’est-à -dire se comportant, en temps infini, comme s’il n’y avait aucune interaction). Cette propriété se traduit en termes mathématiques par la notion de complétude asymptotique des opérateurs d’onde. Un des objets essentiels de la mécanique quantique est la matrice de diffusion (ou de scattering) qui associe à  chaque état entrant diffusé, un état sortant à  son tour diffusé. Un des objectifs de la théorie de la diffusion est de prouver l’existence de la matrice de scattering et la complétude asymptotique des opérateurs d’ondes associés. Le but de cette présentation est de donner un sens rigoureux à  toutes ces notions, d’introduire les outils fondamentaux utilisés dans cette branche de la physique mathématique et de présenter quelques résultats récents sur un modèle simplifié de la désintégration du boson W.

Les surfaces minimales sont les surfaces qui sont points critiques pour la fonctionnelle d’aire (à  bord fixé). Elles sont aussi caractérisées par le fait que leur courbure moyenne est nulle en tout point ; elles peuvent donc s’exprimer localement comme graphes de solutions d’une EDP elliptique. Nous présenterons d’abord quelques exemples et résultats fondamentaux concernant ces surfaces puis nous nous intéresserons à  un problème de minimisation de l’aire des surfaces minimales comprises entre deux plans parallèles (travail en commun avec J. Choe).