Compactness estimates for difference schemes for conservation laws with discontinuous flux

Abstract

Abstract We establish quantitative compactness estimates for finite difference schemes used to solve nonlinear conservation laws. These equations involve a flux function $f(k(x,t),u)$, where the coefficient $k(x,t)$ is $BV$-regular and may exhibit discontinuities along curves in the $(x,t)$ plane. Our approach, which is technically elementary, relies on a discrete interaction estimate and one entropy function. While the details are specifically outlined for the Lax-Friedrichs scheme, the same framework can be applied to other difference schemes. Notably, our compactness estimates are new even in the homogeneous case ($k\equiv 1$).