Initial Layers and Uniqueness of Weak Entropy Solutions to Hyperbolic Conservation Laws

Author: Gui-Qiang Chen and Michel Rascle

Title: Initial Layers and Uniqueness of Weak Entropy Solutions to Hyperbolic Conservation Laws

Abstract
We consider initial layers and uniqueness of weak entropy solutions to hyperbolic conservation laws through the scalar case. The entropy solutions we address assume their initial data {\it only} in the sense of weak-star in $L^\infty$ as $t\to 0_+$ and satisfy the entropy inequality in the sense of distributions for $t>0$. We prove that, if the flux function has weakly genuine nonlinearity, then the entropy solutions are always unique and the initial layers do not appear. We also discuss its applications to the zero relaxation limit for hyperbolic systems of conservation laws with relaxation.
This article has appeared in:
Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis vol 153, pages 205-220 (2000)
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Author Address
    
    Department of Mathematics
    Northwestern University
    Evanston, IL 60208-2730
    gqchen@math.nwu.edu