WEAK SOLUTIONS TO A PENROSE-FIFE MODEL WITH FOURIER LAW FOR THE TEMPERATURE

We prove global existence in time of weak solutions to the Penrose-Fif e model when the heat flux is given by the Fourier law, and the homoge neous free energy density by the classical double well potential. The main feature of these weak solutions is the almost everywhere positivi ty of the absolute temperature through-out time evolution. (C) 1998 Ac ademic Press.