On the existence of shock fronts for a Burgers equation with a singular source term

Abstract

In this paper we consider the Cauchy problem for the equation ∂u/∂t + u ∂u/∂x + u/x = 0 for x > 0, t ⩾ 0, with u(x, 0) = u0−(x) for x < x0, u(x, 0) = u0+(x) for x > x0, u0−(x0) > u0+(x0). Following the ideas of Majda, 1984 and Lax, 1973, we construct, for smooth u0− and u0+, a global shock front weak solution u(x, t) = u−(x, t) for x < ϕ(t), u(x, t) = u+(x, t) for x > ϕ(t), where u− and u+ are the strong solutions corresponding (respectively) to u0− and u0+ and the curve t → ϕ(t) is defined by dϕ/dt (t) = 1/2[u−(ϕ(t), t) + u+(ϕ(t), t)], t ⩾ 0 and ϕ(0) = x0. © 1998 B. G. Teubner Stuttgart—John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.