Weak solutions and weak-strong uniqueness for a Cahn-Hilliard type model with chemotaxis

TL;DR

This paper establishes the existence of weak solutions and weak-strong uniqueness for a coupled Cahn-Hilliard and chemotaxis model relevant to cancer growth, addressing mathematical challenges posed by cross-diffusion terms.

Contribution

It extends previous work by proving global weak solutions and weak-strong uniqueness for a complex tumor growth model with chemotaxis effects.

Findings

Proved global existence of weak solutions for the coupled system.

Established weak-strong uniqueness using entropy inequalities.

Addressed mathematical difficulties from cross-diffusion terms.

Abstract

We prove existence of weak solutions and weak-strong uniqueness for a mathematical model which couples the evolution of a phase-parameter $\varphi$ satisfying a Cahn-Hilliard type relation with the one of an additional variable $\sigma$ influencing the phase separation process. The main application of the model refers to cancer growth processes, where $\sigma$ may represent the concentration of a chemical substance affecting the evolution of the tumor, and is governed by a nonlinear parabolic equation characterized by a cross-diffusion term alike that occurring in the Keller-Segel model for chemotaxis. This term is also responsible for the most relevant difficulties in the mathematical analysis of the system. Complementing previous results on the model, we prove here global in time existence for a very weak notion of solution to which a suitable energy imbalance and a logarithmic inequality for the nutrient are added. Noting that the system also admits local in time "strong" solutions, we can also exhibit a weak-strong uniqueness result whose proof exploits in an essential way the entropy-type inequality satisfied by weak solutions.