Characterization of radially symmetric finite time blowup in multidimensional aggregation equations,

This paper studies the transport of a mass $\mu$ in $\real^d, d \geq 2,$ by a flow field $v= -\nabla K*\mu$. We focus on kernels $K=|x|^\alpha/ \alpha$ for $2-d\leq \alpha<2$ for which the smooth densities are known to develop singularities in finite time. For this range This paper studies the transport of a mass $\mu$ in $\real^d, d \geq 2,$ by a flow field $v= -\nabla K*\mu$. We focus on kernels $K=|x|^\alpha/ \alpha$ for $2-d\leq \alpha<2$ for which the smooth densities are known to develop singularities in finite time. For this range we prove the existence for all time of radially symmetric measure solutions that are monotone decreasing as a function of the radius, thus allowing for continuation of the solution past the blowup time. The monotone constraint on the data is consistent with the typical blowup profiles observed in recent numerical studies of these singularities. We prove monotonicity is preserved for all time, even after blowup, in contrast to the case $\alpha >2$ where radially symmetric solutions are known to lose monotonicity. In the case of the Newtonian potential ($\alpha=2-d$), under the assumption of radial symmetry the equation can be transformed into the inviscid Burgers equation on a half line. This enables us to prove preservation of monotonicity using the classical theory of conservation laws. In the case $2 -d < \alpha < 2$ and at the critical exponent $p$ we exhibit initial data in $L^p$ for which the solution immediately develops a Dirac mass singularity. This extends recent work on the local ill-posedness of solutions at the critical exponent.Comment: 30 page

The aggregation equation with power-law kernels: ill-posedness, mass concentration and similarity solutions

We study the multidimensional aggregation equation u_t+\Div(uv)=0, $v=-\nabla K*u$ with initial data in \cP_2(\bR^d)\cap L_{p}(\bR^d). We prove that with biological relevant potential $K(x)=|x|$, the equation is ill-posed in the critical Lebesgue space L_{d/(d-1)}(\bR^d) in the sense that there exists initial data in \cP_2(\bR^d)\cap L_{d/(d-1)}(\bR^d) such that the unique measure-valued solution leaves L_{d/(d-1)}(\bR^d) immediately. We also extend this result to more general power-law kernels $K(x)=|x|^\alpha$, $0<\alpha<2$ for $p=p_s:=d/(d+\alpha-2)$, and prove a conjecture in Bertozzi, Laurent and Rosado [5] about instantaneous mass concentration for initial data in \cP_2(\bR^d)\cap L_{p}(\bR^d) with $p<p_s$. Finally, we classify all the "first kind" radially symmetric similarity solutions in dimension greater than two.Comment: typos corrected, 18 pages, to appear in Comm. Math. Phy

Equilibria of biological aggregations with nonlocal repulsive-attractive interactions

We consider the aggregation equation $\rho_{t}-\nabla\cdot(\rho\nabla K\ast\rho) =0$ in $\mathbb{R}^{n}$, where the interaction potential $K$ incorporates short-range Newtonian repulsion and long-range power-law attraction. We study the global well-posedness of solutions and investigate analytically and numerically the equilibrium solutions. We show that there exist unique equilibria supported on a ball of $\mathbb{R}^n$. By using the method of moving planes we prove that such equilibria are radially symmetric and monotone in the radial coordinate. We perform asymptotic studies for the limiting cases when the exponent of the power-law attraction approaches infinity and a Newtonian singularity, respectively. Numerical simulations suggest that equilibria studied here are global attractors for the dynamics of the aggregation model

Aggregation-diffusion equations: dynamics, asymptotics, and singular limits

Given a large ensemble of interacting particles, driven by nonlocal interactions and localized repulsion, the mean-field limit leads to a class of nonlocal, nonlinear partial differential equations known as aggregation-diffusion equations. Over the past fifteen years, aggregation-diffusion equations have become widespread in biological applications and have also attracted significant mathematical interest, due to their competing forces at different length scales. These competing forces lead to rich dynamics, including symmetrization, stabilization, and metastability, as well as sharp dichotomies separating well-posedness from finite time blowup. In the present work, we review known analytical results for aggregation-diffusion equations and consider singular limits of these equations, including the slow diffusion limit, which leads to the constrained aggregation equation, as well as localized aggregation and vanishing diffusion limits, which lead to metastability behavior. We also review the range of numerical methods available for simulating solutions, with special attention devoted to recent advances in deterministic particle methods. We close by applying such a method -- the blob method for diffusion -- to showcase key properties of the dynamics of aggregation-diffusion equations and related singular limits

Nonlocal interactions by repulsive-attractive potentials: radial ins/stability

In this paper, we investigate nonlocal interaction equations with repulsive-attractive radial potentials. Such equations describe the evolution of a continuum density of particles in which they repulse each other in the short range and attract each other in the long range. We prove that under some conditions on the potential, radially symmetric solutions converge exponentially fast in some transport distance toward a spherical shell stationary state. Otherwise we prove that it is not possible for a radially symmetric solution to converge weakly toward the spherical shell stationary state. We also investigate under which condition it is possible for a non-radially symmetric solution to converge toward a singular stationary state supported on a general hypersurface. Finally we provide a detailed analysis of the specific case of the repulsive-attractive power law potential as well as numerical results. We point out the the conditions of radial ins/stability are sharp.Comment: 42 pages, 7 figure

Swarm dynamics and equilibria for a nonlocal aggregation model

We consider the aggregation equation ρt − ∇ · (ρ∇K ∗ ρ) = 0 in Rn, where the interaction potential K models short-range repulsion and long-range attraction. We study a family of interaction potentials for which the equilibria are of finite density and compact support. We show global well-posedness of solutions and investigate analytically and numerically the equilibria and their global stability. In particular, we consider a potential for which the corresponding equilibrium solutions are of uniform density inside a ball of Rn and zero outside. For such a potential, various explicit calculations can be carried out in detail. In one dimension we fully solve the temporal dynamics, and in two or higher dimensions we show the global stability of this steady state within the class of radially symmetric solutions. Finally, we solve the following restricted inverse problem: given a radially symmetric density ρ ̄ that is zero outside some ball of radius R and is polynomial inside the ball, construct an interaction potential K for which ρ̄ is the steady state solution of the corresponding aggregation equation. Throughout the paper, numerical simulations are used to motivate and validate the analytical results

The regularity of the boundary of a multidimensional aggregation patch

Let $d \geq 2$ and let $N(y)$ be the fundamental solution of the Laplace equation in $R^d$ We consider the aggregation equation $$\frac{\partial \rho}{\partial t} + \operatorname{div}(\rho v) =0, v = -\nabla N * \rho$$ with initial data $\rho(x,0) = \chi_{D_0}$, where $\chi_{D_0}$ is the indicator function of a bounded domain $D_0 \subset R^d.$ We now fix $0 < \gamma < 1$ and take $D_0$ to be a bounded $C^{1+\gamma}$ domain (a domain with smooth boundary of class $C^{1+\gamma}$). Then we have Theorem: If $D_0$ is a $C^{1 + \gamma}$ domain, then the initial value problem above has a solution given by $$\rho(x,t) = \frac{1}{1 -t} \chi_{D_t}(x), \quad x \in R^d, \quad 0 \le t < 1$$ where $D_t$ is a $C^{1 + \gamma}$ domain for all $0 \leq t < 1$