An optimal control problem subject to strong solutions of chemotaxis-consumption models

Abstract

We consider a bilinear optimal control problem associated to the following chemotaxis-consumption model in a bounded domain $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^3$ during a time interval $(0,T)$: $$\partial_t u - \Delta u = - \nabla \cdot (u \nabla v), \quad \partial_t v - \Delta v = - u^s v + f v 1_{\Omega_c},$$ with $s \geq 1$, endowed with isolated boundary conditions and initial conditions for $(u,v)$, $u$ being the cell density, $v$ the chemical concentration and $f$ the bilinear control acting in a subdomain $\Omega_c \subset \Omega$. The existence of weak solutions $(u,v)$ to this model given $f \in L^q((0,T) \times \Omega)$, for some $q > 5/2$, has been proved in [F. Guill\'en-Gonz\'alez and A. L. Corr\^ea Vianna Filho, Optimal Control Related to Weak Solutions of a Chemotaxis-Consumption Model, arXiv:2211.14612, 2022]. In this paper, we study a related optimal control problem in the strong solution setting. First, imposing the regularity criterion $u ^s \in L^q((0,T) \times \Omega)$ ($q > 5/2$) for a given weak solution, we prove existence and uniqueness of global-in-time strong solutions. Then, the existence of a global optimal solution can be deduced. Finally, using a Lagrange multipliers theorem, we establish first order optimality conditions for any local optimal solution, proving existence, uniqueness and regularity of the associated Lagrange multipliers.