arXiv subjects

Philippe G. LeFloch

Publications and source records attributed to Philippe G. LeFloch.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Future asymptotics and geodesic completeness of polarized T2-symmetric spacetimes

We investigate the late-time asymptotics of future expanding, polarized vacuum Einstein spacetimes with T2-symmetry on T3, which, by definition, admit two spacelike Killing fields. Our main result is the existence of a stable asymptotic regime within this class, that is, we provide here a full description of the late-time asymptotics of the solutions to the Einstein equations when the initial data set is close to the asymptotic regime. Our proof is based on several energy functionals with lower order corrections (as is standard for such problems) and the derivation of a simplified model which we exhibit here. Roughly speaking, the Einstein equations in the symmetry class under consideration consists of a system of wave equations coupled to constraint equations plus a system of ordinary differential equations. The unknowns involved in the system of ordinary equations are blowing up in the future timelike directions. One of our main contributions is the derivation of novel effective equations for suitably renormalized unknowns. Interestingly, this renormalization is not performed with respect to a fixed background, but does involve the energy of the coupled system of wave equations. In addition, we construct an open set of initial data which are arbitrarily close to the expected asymptotic behavior. We emphasize that, in comparison, the class of Gowdy spacetimes exhibits a very different dynamical behavior to the one we uncover in the present work for general polarized T2-symmetric spacetimes. Furthermore, all the conclusions of this paper are valid within the framework of weakly T2-symmetric spacetimes previously introduced by the authors.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Structure-preserving shock-capturing methods: late-time asymptotics, curved geometry, small-scale dissipation, and nonconservative products

We present some recent developments on shock capturing methods for nonlinear hyperbolic systems of balance laws, whose prototype is the Euler system of compressible fluid flows, and especially discuss {structure-preserving} techniques. The problems under consideration arise with complex fluids in realistic applications when friction terms, geometrical terms, viscosity and capillarity effects, etc., need to be taken into account in order to achieve a proper description of the physical phenomena. For these problems, it is necessary to design numerical methods that are not only consistent with the given partial differential equations, but remain accurate and robust in certain {asymptotic regimes} of physical interest. That is, certain structural properties of these hyperbolic problems (conservation or balance law, equilibrium state, monotonicity properties, etc.) are essential in many applications, and one seeks that the numerical solutions preserve these properties, which is often a very challenging task.

math.AP↗

arXiv2015

A central-upwind geometry-preserving method for hyperbolic conservation laws on the sphere

We introduce a second-order, central-upwind finite volume method for the discretization of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws posed on the two-dimensional sphere. The semi-discrete version of the proposed method is based on a technique of local propagation speeds and it is free of any Riemann solver. The main advantages of our scheme are the high resolution of discontinuous solutions, its low numerical dissipation, and its simplicity for the implementation. The proposed scheme does not use any splitting approach, which is applied in some cases to upwind schemes in order to simplify the resolution of Riemann problems. The semi-discrete form of the scheme is strongly linked to the analytical properties of the nonlinear conservation law and to the geometry of the sphere. The curved geometry is treated here in an analytical way so that the semi-discrete form of the proposed scheme is consistent with a geometric compatibility property. Furthermore, the time evolution is carried out by using a total-variation-diminishing Runge-Kutta method. A rich family of (discontinuous) stationary solutions is available for the problem under consideration when the flux is nonlinear and foliated (as identified by the author in an earlier work). We present here a series of numerical examples, obtained by considering non-trivial steady state solutions and this leads us to a good validation of the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed central-upwind finite volume method. Our numerical tests confirm the stability of the proposed scheme and clearly show its ability to capture accurately discontinuous steady state solutions to nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws posed on the sphere.

math.AP↗

arXiv2015

Weakly regular fluid flows with bounded variation on a Schwarzschild background

We study the global dynamics of isothermal fluids evolving in the domain of outer communication of a Schwarzschild black hole. We first formulate the initial value problem within a class of weak solutions with bounded variation (BV), possibly containing shock waves. We then introduce a version of the random choice method and establish a global-in-time existence theory for the initial value problem within the proposed class of weakly regular fluid flows. The initial data may have arbitrary large bounded variation and can possibly blow up near the horizon of the black hole. Furthermore, we study the class of possibly discontinuous, equilibrium solutions and design a version of the random choice method in which these fluid equilibria are exactly preserved. This leads us to a nonlinear stability property for fluid equilibria under small perturbations with bounded variation. Furthermore, we can also encompass several limiting regimes (stiff matter, non-relativistic flows, extremal black hole) by letting the physical parameters (mass of the black hole, light speed, sound speed) reach extremal values.

math.AP↗

arXiv2015

The relativistic Burgers equation on a FLRW background and its finite volume approximation

A relativistic generalization of the inviscid Burgers equation was proposed by LeFloch, Makhlof, and Okutmustur and then investigated on a Schwarzschild background. Here, we extend their analysis to a Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) background. This problem is more challenging due to the existence of non-trivial spatially homogeneous solutions. First, we derive the relativistic Burgers model of interest and determine its spatially homogeneous solutions. Second, we design a numerical scheme based on the finite volume methodology, which is well-balanced in the sense that spatially homogeneous solutions are preserved at the discrete level of approximation. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method for weak solutions containing shock waves.

math.AP↗

arXiv2015

The global nonlinear stability of Minkowski space for self-gravitating massive fields. The wave-Klein-Gordon model

The Hyperboloidal Foliation Method (introduced by the authors in 2014) is extended here and applied to the Einstein equations of general relativity. Specifically, we establish the nonlinear stability of Minkowski spacetime for self-gravitating massive scalar fields, while existing methods only apply to massless scalar fields. First of all, by analyzing the structure of the Einstein equations in wave coordinates, we exhibit a nonlinear wave-Klein-Gordon model defined on a curved background, which is the focus of the present paper. For this model, we prove here the existence of global-in-time solutions to the Cauchy problem, when the initial data have sufficiently small Sobolev norms. A major difficulty comes from the fact that the class of conformal Killing fields of Minkowski space is significantly reduced in presence of a massive scalar field, since the scaling vector field is not conformal Killing for the Klein-Gordon operator. Our method relies on the foliation (of the interior of the light cone) of Minkowski spacetime by hyperboloidal hypersurfaces and uses Lorentz-invariant energy norms. We introduce a frame of vector fields adapted to the hyperboloidal foliation and we establish several key properties: Sobolev and Hardy-type inequalities on hyperboloids, as well as sup-norm estimates which correspond to the sharp time decay for the wave and the Klein-Gordon equations. These estimates allow us to control interaction terms associated with the curved geometry and the massive field, by distinguishing between two levels of regularity and energy growth and by a successive use of our key estimates in order to close a bootstrap argument.

math.AP↗

arXiv2015

The global nonlinear stability of self-gravitating irrotational Chaplygin fluids in a FRW geometry

We analyze the global nonlinear stability of FRW (Friedmann-Robertson-Walker) spacetimes in presence of an irrotational perfect fluid. We assume that the fluid is governed by the so-called (generalized) Chaplygin equation of state relating the pressure to the mass-energy density. We express the Einstein equations in wave gauge as a systems of coupled nonlinear wave equations and by performing a suitable conformal transformation, we are able to analyze the global behavior of solutions in future timelike directions. We establish that the (3+1)-spacetime metric and the mass density and velocity vector describing the evolution of the fluid remain globally close to a reference FRW solution, under small initial data perturbations. Our analysis provides also the precise asymptotic behavior of the perturbed solutions in the future directions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Lagrangian formulation and a priori estimates for relativistic fluid flows with vacuum

We study the evolution of a compressible fluid surrounded by vacuum and introduce a new symmetrization in Lagrangian coordinates that allows us to encompass both relativistic and non-relativistic fluid flows. The problem under consideration is a free boundary problem of central interest in compressible fluid dynamics and, from the mathematical standpoint, the main challenge to be overcome lies in the loss of regularity in the fluid variables near the free boundary. Based on our Lagrangian formulation, we establish the necessary a priori estimates in weighted Sobolev spaces which are adapted to this loss of regularity.

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

Mathematical Validity of the f(R) Theory of Modified Gravity

We establish a well-posedness theory for the f(R) theory of modified gravity, which is a generalization of Einstein's theory of gravitation. The scalar curvature R of the spacetime, which arises in the integrand of the Einstein-Hilbert functional, is replaced by a function f=f(R). The field equations involve up to fourth-order derivatives of the spacetime metric, and the challenge is to understand the structure of these high-order terms. We propose a formulation of the initial value problem in modified gravity when the initial data are prescribed on a hypersurface. In addition to the induced metric and second fundamental form of the initial slice and the initial matter content, an initial data set must also provide the spacetime scalar curvature and its time-derivative. We introduce an augmented conformal formulation, as we call it, in which the spacetime curvature is an independent variable. In the so-called wave gauge, the field equations of modified gravity reduce a coupled system of nonlinear wave-Klein-Gordon equations with defocusing potential, whose unknowns are the conformally-transformed metric and the scalar curvature, as well as the matter fields. We are able to establish the existence of maximal globally hyperbolic developments when the matter is represented by a scalar field. We analyze the so-called Jordan coupling and work with the Einstein metric, which is conformally equivalent to the physical metric --the conformal factor depending upon the scalar curvature. Our analysis leads us to a rigorous validation of the theory of modified gravity. We derive quantitative estimates, which are uniform in terms of the nonlinearity f(R), and we prove that asymptotically flat spacetimes of modified gravity are `close' to Einstein spacetimes, when the function f(R) in the action functional of modified gravity is `close' to the Einstein-Hilbert integrand R.

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

The hyperboloidal foliation method

The Hyperboloidal Foliation Method presented in this monograph is based on a (3+1)-foliation of Minkowski spacetime by hyperboloidal hypersurfaces. It allows us to establish global-in-time existence results for systems of nonlinear wave equations posed on a curved spacetime and to derive uniform energy bounds and optimal rates of decay in time. We are also able to encompass the wave equation and the Klein-Gordon equation in a unified framework and to establish a well-posedness theory for nonlinear wave-Klein-Gordon systems and a large class of nonlinear interactions. The hyperboloidal foliation of Minkowski spacetime we rely upon in this book has the advantage of being geometric in nature and, especially, invariant under Lorentz transformations. As stated, our theory applies to many systems arising in mathematical physics and involving a massive scalar field, such as the Dirac-Klein-Gordon system. As it provides uniform energy bounds and optimal rates of decay in time, our method appears to be very robust and should extend to even more general systems.

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

On the area of the symmetry orbits in weakly regular Einstein-Euler spacetimes with Gowdy symmetry

This paper establishes novel bounds for Gowdy-symmetric Einstein-Euler spacetimes and completes the analysis, initiated by LeFloch and Rendall, of the global areal foliation for these spacetimes. We thus consider the initial value problem for the Einstein-Euler equations under the assumption of Gowdy symmetry. We establish that, for the maximal Cauchy development of future contracting initial data, the area of the group orbits approaches zero toward the future. This property holds as one approaches the future boundary of the spacetime, provided a geometry invariant associated with the Gowdy symmetry property is initially non-vanishing. Our condition is sharp within the class of spatially homogeneous spacetimes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

The formation of trapped surfaces in spherically-symmetric Einstein-Euler spacetimes with bounded variation

We study the evolution of a self-gravitating compressible fluid in spherical symmetry and we prove the existence of weak solutions with bounded variation for the Einstein-Euler equations of general relativity. We formulate the initial value problem in Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates and prescribe spherically symmetric data on a characteristic initial hypersurface. We introduce here a broad class of initial data which contain no trapped surfaces, and we then prove that their Cauchy development contains trapped surfaces. We therefore establish the formation of trapped surfaces in weak solutions to the Einstein equations. This result generalizes a theorem by Christodoulou for regular vacuum spacetimes (but without symmetry restriction). Our method of proof relies on a generalization of the "random choice" method for nonlinear hyperbolic systems and on a detailed analysis of the nonlinear coupling between the Einstein equations and the relativistic Euler equations in spherical symmetry.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Revisiting the method of characteristics via a convex hull algorithm

We revisit the method of characteristics for shock wave solutions to nonlinear hyperbolic problems and we describe a novel numerical algorithm - the convex hull algorithm (CHA) - in order to compute, both, entropy dissipative solutions (satisfying all relevant entropy inequalities) and entropy conservative (or multivalued) solutions to nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws. Our method also applies to Hamilton-Jacobi equations and other problems endowed with a method of characteristics. From the multivalued solutions determined by the method of characteristic, our algorithm "extracts" the entropy dissipative solutions, even after the formation of shocks. It applies to, both, convex or non-convex flux/Hamiltonians. We demonstrate the relevance of the proposed approach with a variety of numerical tests including a problem from fluid dynamics.

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

The positive mass theorem for manifolds with distributional curvature

We formulate and prove a positive mass theorem for n-dimensional spin manifolds whose metrics have only the Sobolev regularity $C^0 \cap W^{1,n}$. At this level of regularity, the curvature of the metric is defined in the distributional sense only, and we propose here a (generalized) notion of ADM mass for such a metric. Our main theorem establishes that if the manifold is asymptotically flat and has non-negative scalar curvature distribution, then its (generalized) ADM mass is well-defined and non-negative, and vanishes only if the manifold is isometric to Euclidian space. Prior applications of Witten's spinor method by Lee and Parker and by Bartnik required the much stronger regularity $W^{2,2}$. Our proof is a generalization of Witten's arguments, in which we must treat the Dirac operator and its associated Lichnerowicz-Weitzenbock identity in the distributional sense and cope with certain averages of first-order derivatives of the metric over annuli that approach infinity. Finally, we observe that our arguments are not specific to scalar curvature and also allow us to establish a universal positive mass theorem.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Generalized relativistic hydrodynamics with a convex extension

We propose a new model which describes relativistic hydrodynamics and generalizes the standard Euler system of isentropic perfect fluids. Remarkably, our system admits a convex extension which allows us to transform it to a symmetric hyperbolic form. This result sheds new light even on the relativistic Euler system.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

The equations of elastostatics in a Riemannian manifold

To begin with, we identify the equations of elastostatics in a Riemannian manifold, which generalize those of classical elasticity in the three-dimensional Euclidean space. Our approach relies on the principle of least energy, which asserts that the deformation of the elastic body arising in response to given loads minimizes over a specific set of admissible deformations the total energy of the elastic body, defined as the difference between the strain energy and the potential of the loads. Assuming that the strain energy is a function of the metric tensor field induced by the deformation, we first derive the principle of virtual work and the associated nonlinear boundary value problem of nonlinear elasticity from the expression of the total energy of the elastic body. We then show that this boundary value problem possesses a solution if the loads are sufficiently small (in a sense we specify).

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

Weakly regular T2 symmetric spacetimes. The future causal geometry of Gowdy spaces

We investigate the future asymptotic behavior of Gowdy spacetimes on T3, when the metric satisfies weak regularity conditions, so that the metric coefficients (in suitable coordinates) are only in the Sobolev space H1 or have even weaker regularity. The authors recently introduced this class of spacetimes in the broader context of T2 symmetric spacetimes and established the existence of a global foliation by spacelike hypersurfaces when the time function is chosen to be the area of the surfaces of symmetry. In the present paper, we identify the global causal geometry of these spacetimes and, in particular, establish that weakly regular Gowdy spacetimes are future causally geodesically complete. This result extends a theorem by Ringström for metrics with sufficiently high regularity. We emphasize that our proof of the energy decay is based on an energy functional inspired by the Gowdy-to-Ernst transformation. In order to establish the geodesic completeness property, we prove a higher regularity property concerning the metric coefficients along timelike curves and we provide a novel analysis of the geodesic equation for Gowdy spacetimes, which does not require high-order regularity estimates. Even when sufficient regularity is assumed, our proof provides an alternative and shorter proof of the energy decay and of the geodesic completeness property for Gowdy spacetimes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

The nonlinear stability of rotationally symmetric spaces with low regularity

We consider rotationally symmetric spaces with low regularity, which we regard as integral currents spaces or manifolds with Sobolev regularity and are assumed to have nonnegative scalar curvature. Relying on the flat distance and on Sobolev norms, we establish several nonlinear stability estimates about the ``distance'' between a rotationally symmetric manifold and the Euclidian space, which are stated in terms of the ADM mass of the manifold. Importantly, we make explicit the dependencies and scales involved in this problem, particularly the ADM mass, the depth, and the CMC reference hypersurface. Several notions of independent interest are introduced in the course of our analysis, including the notion of depth of a manifold and a scaled version of the flat-distance, the D-flat distance as we call it, which involves the diameter of the manifold. Finally we prove a compactness theorem for sequences of regions with uniformly bounded depth, whose outer boundaries have fixed area and an upper bound on Hawking mass.

gr-qc↗