Variational formulation of hyperbolic conservation laws
Analysis of PDEs
2026-05-26 v1
Abstract
Entropy functions played a key role in the development of mathematical theory for hyperbolic conservation laws. The notion of entropy, which is intimately connected with symmetry, is an extension \emph{imposed} on nonlinear systems of conservation laws. In this context, Friedrichs raised the question whether the assumed symmetries can also be derived. We introduce a variational formulation that addresses Friedrichs' question: an entropy function is derived as an extremal object, from which we deduce, rather than impose, the maximum entropy production principle of Dafermos.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2605.24214,
title = {Variational formulation of hyperbolic conservation laws},
author = {Eitan Tadmor},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.24214},
year = {2026}
}