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Main Authors: Zhang, Kaiqiang, Li, Zhiyu
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11933
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author Zhang, Kaiqiang
Li, Zhiyu
author_facet Zhang, Kaiqiang
Li, Zhiyu
contents We consider the semilinear heat equation $$ u_t-Δu=|u|^{p-1}u,\ \ (t,x)\in\mathbb{R}^+\times\mathbb{R}^n. $$ The well-known difficulty with this problem is that the potential well method cannot be applied directly, due to the scaling invariance which leads to a potential well of zero depth. We employ the forward similarity transform to convert the equation into a new parabolic equation, so that we can apply the potential well method in weighted Sobolev spaces. As a result, we obtain a new criterion that establishes whether solutions to the heat equation blow up in finite time or exist globally. This work extends the partial results of Ikehata et al. (\textit{Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré Anal. Non Linéaire}, \textbf{27} (2010) 877-900) from critical Sobolev exponent to the case $p_F<p<p_S$, where $p_F=1+2/n$ is the Fujita exponent and $p_S=(n+2)/(n-2)$ (for $n\ge3$) is the critical Sobolev exponent.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_11933
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On the existence and nonexistence of global solutions of the semilinear heat equation
Zhang, Kaiqiang
Li, Zhiyu
Analysis of PDEs
We consider the semilinear heat equation $$ u_t-Δu=|u|^{p-1}u,\ \ (t,x)\in\mathbb{R}^+\times\mathbb{R}^n. $$ The well-known difficulty with this problem is that the potential well method cannot be applied directly, due to the scaling invariance which leads to a potential well of zero depth. We employ the forward similarity transform to convert the equation into a new parabolic equation, so that we can apply the potential well method in weighted Sobolev spaces. As a result, we obtain a new criterion that establishes whether solutions to the heat equation blow up in finite time or exist globally. This work extends the partial results of Ikehata et al. (\textit{Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré Anal. Non Linéaire}, \textbf{27} (2010) 877-900) from critical Sobolev exponent to the case $p_F<p<p_S$, where $p_F=1+2/n$ is the Fujita exponent and $p_S=(n+2)/(n-2)$ (for $n\ge3$) is the critical Sobolev exponent.
title On the existence and nonexistence of global solutions of the semilinear heat equation
topic Analysis of PDEs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11933