Wave-front tracking for a quasi-linear scalar conservation law with hysteresis II: the case of Preisach

Abstract

We consider the Cauchy problem for the quasi-linear scalar conservation law \[u_t+\mathcal{F}(u)_t+u_x=0,\] where $\mathcal{F}$ is a specific hysteresis operator. Hysteresis models a rate-independent memory relationship between the input $u$ and its output, giving a non-local feature to the equation. In a previous work the authors studied the case when $\mathcal{F}$ is the Play operator. In the present article, we extend the analysis to the case of Preisach operator, which is probably the most versatile mathematical model to describe hysteresis in the applications, especially for the presence of some kind of internal variables. This fact has required a new analysis of the equation. Starting from the Riemann problem, we address the so-called wave-front tracking method for a solution to the Cauchy problem with bounded variation initial data. An entropy-like condition is also exploited for uniqueness.