Competing effects in fourth‐order aggregation–diffusion equations

Abstract We give sharp conditions for global in time existence of gradient flow solutions to a Cahn–Hilliard‐type equation, with backwards second‐order degenerate diffusion, in any dimension and for general initial data. Our equation is the 2‐Wasserstein gradient flow of a free energy with two competing effects: the Dirichlet energy and the power‐law internal energy. Homogeneity of the functionals reveals critical regimes that we analyse. Sharp conditions for global in time solutions, constructed via the minimising movement scheme, also known as JKO scheme, are obtained. Furthermore, we study a system of two Cahn–Hilliard‐type equations exhibiting an analogous gradient flow structure.