Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2509.17394

The Asymptotic Analysis of Some PDE and Steklov Eigenvalue Problems with Partially Reactive Patches in 3-D

Abstract

We consider steady-state diffusion in a three-dimensional bounded domain with a smooth reflecting boundary that is partially covered by small partially reactive patches. By using the method of matched asymptotic expansions, we investigate the competition of these patches for a diffusing particle and the crucial role of surface reactions on these targets. After a brief overview of former contributions to this field, we first illustrate our approach by considering the classical problems of the mean first-reaction time (MFRT) and the splitting probability for partially reactive patches characterized by a Robin boundary condition. For a spherical domain, we derive a three-term asymptotic expansion for the MFRT and splitting probabilities in the small-patch limit. This expansion is valid for arbitrary reactivities, and also accounts for the effect of the spatial configuration of patches on the boundary. Secondly, we consider more intricate surface reactions modeled by mixed Steklov-Neumann or Steklov-Neumann-Dirichlet problems. We provide the first derivation of the asymptotic behavior of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for these spectral problems in the small-patch limit for a spherical domain. Extensions of these asymptotic results to arbitrary domains and their physical applications are discussed.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Denis S. Grebenkov, Michael J. Ward. 2026-08-03. The Asymptotic Analysis of Some PDE and Steklov Eigenvalue Problems with Partially Reactive Patches in 3-D. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.17394

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Multilayered fluid-structure interactions: existence of weak solutions for time-periodic and initial-value problems

We establish the existence of weak solutions for a class of fully coupled multilayered fluid-structure interaction systems in a three-dimensional spatial setting. The model consists of an incompressible viscous fluid interacting with a thin elastic shell, which is in turn coupled to a three-dimensional elastic solid, yielding a nonstandard $3D/2D/3D$ coupling configuration. The system is driven by time-periodic boundary forcing through Bernoulli-type pressure conditions. For sufficiently small forcing in $L^2$, we prove the existence of at least one time-periodic weak solution. A central analytical difficulty stems from the strong nonlinear coupling across interfaces of different dimensionality and the absence of classical compactness mechanisms. This challenge is overcome through a carefully designed energy framework combined with and new $L^{2}$ compactness arguments adapted to the multilayered geometry. A key structural assumption is the viscoelasticity of the three-dimensional solid, which yields additional diffusion estimates and ensures energy stability. In the purely elastic case, we establish the global-in-time existence of weak solutions to the corresponding initial-value problem, provided that no degeneration (self-contact) of the fluid domain occurs. These results extend existing theories for two-dimensional and reduced-dimensional configurations to a genuinely three-dimensional multilayered setting, providing new analytical insight into complex coupled PDE systems arising in fluid-structure interaction.

math.AP

A linear test approach to global controllability of third- and fifth-order nonlinear dispersive equations

We investigate third- and fifth-order nonlinear dispersive equations of KdV type on the torus and establishes approximate controllability by a fixed four-dimensional control; rather than relying solely on the saturation machinery, the analysis exploits the finite-dimensional controllability of the inviscid Burgers equation linearized around a carefully constructed return trajectory, with the trajectory itself obtained from an observable family. This ``linear test" strategy, yields more information about the structure of the control than the standard approach. In particular, the constructed control is shown to depend continuously on the initial and target states, a property that is by no means automatic in nonlinear control problems, and to decompose as a bounded linear operator applied to the data plus a fixed remainder, with the operator part interestingly independent of the order of dispersion.

math.AP

Global in-time rough large data solution to complex-valued semilinear damped evolution equations

We study the semilinear Cauchy problem for complex-valued damped evolution equations \begin{align*} \partial_t^2u+(-Δ)^σu+(-Δ)^δ\partial_tu=u^p,\ \ u(0,x)=u_0(x),\ \partial_tu(0,x)=u_1(x), \end{align*} with $δ\in[0,σ]$, $σ\in\mathbb{R}_+$ and $p\in\mathbb{N}_+\backslash\{1\}$, where the initial data belong to the rough space $E^α_s$ endowed with the norm \begin{align*} \|f\|_{E^α_s}=\big\|\langleξ\rangle^s\,2^{α|ξ|}\widehat{f}(ξ)\big\|_{L^2}\ \ \mbox{with}\ \ α<0, \ s\in\mathbb{R}. \end{align*} Concerning $(u_0,u_1)\in E^α_{s+\barκ}\times E^α_s$ when $s\geqslant\frac{n}{2}-\frac{2κ+\barκ-2δ}{p-1}-\barκ$ with $κ=\min\{2δ,σ\}$ and $\barκ=\max\{2δ,σ\}$ whose Fourier transforms are supported in a suitable subset of first octant, we prove a global in-time existence result without requiring the smallness of rough initial data.

math.AP