Minimal time for null controllability of the parabolic spherical Baouendi-Grushin equation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Tamekue, Cyprien
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Tamekue, Cyprien
author_facet Tamekue, Cyprien
contents We study null controllability for the parabolic equation on $\mathbb{S}^{2}$ endowed with its canonical almost-Riemannian structure. For a spherical crown $ω=\{α<x_3<β\}$, where $0\le α<β\le1$, we prove the sharp minimal time formula $T_{\min}(ω)=\ln(1/\sqrt{1-α^{2}})$ for null controllability in $ω$. We also prove that, whenever the control region contains the equator, null controllability holds in every positive time. The proof combines two complementary tools. First, after Fourier decomposition with respect to the periodic variable, we establish observability estimates for a family of one-dimensional singular parabolic equations, with constants uniform with respect to the Fourier mode; the singularities at the poles are handled via a Hardy-Poincaré inequality. Second, for crowns away from the equator, we use the moment method to construct controls on the pole-touching crown $α<x_3< 1$ from sharp weighted lower bounds on associated Legendre functions, and then pass to a general crown $α<x_3<β$ by a cut-off argument on the full domain combined with the arbitrary-time controllability of crowns containing the equator. The result closes the large-time gap left in earlier work and gives the exact null-controllability threshold for the canonical almost-Riemannian heat equation on $\mathbb S^2$.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_19700
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Minimal time for null controllability of the parabolic spherical Baouendi-Grushin equation
Tamekue, Cyprien
Analysis of PDEs
Optimization and Control
We study null controllability for the parabolic equation on $\mathbb{S}^{2}$ endowed with its canonical almost-Riemannian structure. For a spherical crown $ω=\{α<x_3<β\}$, where $0\le α<β\le1$, we prove the sharp minimal time formula $T_{\min}(ω)=\ln(1/\sqrt{1-α^{2}})$ for null controllability in $ω$. We also prove that, whenever the control region contains the equator, null controllability holds in every positive time. The proof combines two complementary tools. First, after Fourier decomposition with respect to the periodic variable, we establish observability estimates for a family of one-dimensional singular parabolic equations, with constants uniform with respect to the Fourier mode; the singularities at the poles are handled via a Hardy-Poincaré inequality. Second, for crowns away from the equator, we use the moment method to construct controls on the pole-touching crown $α<x_3< 1$ from sharp weighted lower bounds on associated Legendre functions, and then pass to a general crown $α<x_3<β$ by a cut-off argument on the full domain combined with the arbitrary-time controllability of crowns containing the equator. The result closes the large-time gap left in earlier work and gives the exact null-controllability threshold for the canonical almost-Riemannian heat equation on $\mathbb S^2$.
title Minimal time for null controllability of the parabolic spherical Baouendi-Grushin equation
topic Analysis of PDEs
Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.19700