A piston to counteract diffusion: The influence of an inward-shifting boundary on the heat equation in half-space
Samuel Tréton, Mingmin Zhang
TL;DR
The paper studies diffusion on a moving half-space with an inward-shifting boundary, modeled by $\\partial_t u = d \\\\partial_{zz} u$ for $z\\ge b(t)$ and a Robin boundary at $z=b(t)$ that enforces mass conservation. By transforming to a fixed half-space via $v(t,x)=u(t,x+b(t))$, the authors analyze the resulting diffusion-advective equation with a time-dependent boundary flux, focusing on algebraic boundary motion $b(t)=c[(1+t)^{\\beta}-1]$ with $\\beta\\in[0,1]$. The main contributions are: (i) an explicit solution and exponential $L^1$-convergence to a stationary profile for the linear regime $\\beta=1$; (ii) a comprehensive self-similar asymptotic classification for all $\\beta\in[0,1]$, with Gaussian self-similar profiles in the subcritical and critical cases and exponential self-similar profiles in the supercritical case; (iii) precise convergence rates: $O((1+t)^{-(1/4-\\beta/2)})$ for $0<\\beta<\\tfrac{1}{2}$, $O((1+t)^{-1/2})$ for $\\beta=\\tfrac{1}{2}$, and $O(\log(1+t)/(1+t)^{\\beta-1/2})$ for $\\tfrac{1}{2}<\\beta\le 1$, with the subcritical/critical regimes treated via entropy methods and the supercritical regime via Duhamel’s principle. The work highlights how external boundary motion counteracts diffusion, producing a spectrum of self-similar states and providing a foundation for extending to nonlinear and reaction-diffusion settings in receding environments.
Abstract
To better understand how populations respond to dynamic external pressure, we propose a new diffusion model in the moving half-line {z $\ge$ b(t)}, where the boundary position b(t) is a given nondecreasing function of time. A Robin boundary condition is imposed at z = b(t) to prevent individuals from leaving the domain, so that the shifting boundary acts as an impermeable wall-a ''piston''-that sweeps the individuals it encounters. Our analysis focuses on the cases where b(t) $\sim$ ct^$β$ with $β$ $\in$ [0, 1]. We prove quantitative convergence results characterized by attraction toward self-similar profiles, based on entropy techniques and Duhamel's principle. When $β$ goes through the critical value 1/2, the shape of the self-similar asymptotic profile switches from Gaussian to exponential. In particular, this profile turns out to be stationary when $β$ = 1, reflecting a delicate balance between diffusion and advection induced by the moving boundary.
