Abstract
In this article, we propose a new notion of multiscale convergence, called ‘three-scale’, which aims to give a topological framework in which to assess complex processes occurring at three different scales or levels within a heterogeneous medium. This generalizes and extends the notion of two-scale convergence, a well-established concept that is now commonly used for obtaining an averaged, asymptotic value (homogenization) of processes that exist on two different spatial scales. The well-posedness of this new concept is justified via a compactness theorem which ensures that all bounded sequences in L 2(Ω) are relative compact with respect to the three-scale convergence. This is taken further by giving a boundedness characterization of three-scale convergent sequences and is then continued with the introduction of the notion of ‘strong three-scale convergence’ whose well-posedness is also discussed. Finally, the three-scale convergence of the gradients is established.
Acknowledgements
All authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the European Research Council. DT and MAJC were supported by the ERC AdG Grant No. 227619 ‘From Mutations to Metastases: Multiscale Mathematical Modelling of Cancer Growth and Spread’ and AM-C by the ERC Grant: ‘Multiscale mathematical modelling of dynamics of structure formation in cell systems’ and by Emmy Noether Programme of German Research Council (DFG).