A new minimizing-movements scheme for curves of maximal slope

Abstract

Curves of maximal slope are a reference gradient-evolution notion in metric spaces and arise as variational formulation of a vast class of nonlinear diffusion equations. Existence theories for curves of maximal slope are often based on minimizing-movements schemes, most notably on the Euler scheme. We present here an alternative minimizing-movements approach, yielding more regular discretizations, serving as a-posteriori convergence estimator, and allowing for a simple convergence proof.