Smooth zero-contact-angle solutions to the thin-film equation around the steady state

In the simplest case of a linearly degenerate mobility, we view the thin-film equation as a classical free boundary problem. Our focus is on the regularity of solutions and of their free boundary in the “complete wetting” regime, which prescribes zero slope at the free boundary. In order to rule out of the analysis possible changes in the topology of the positivity set, we zoom into the free boundary by looking at perturbations of the stationary solution. Our strategy is based on a priori energy-type estimates which provide “minimal” conditions on the initial datum under which a unique global solution exists. In fact, this solution turns out to be smooth for positive times and to converge to the stationary solution for large times. As a consequence, we obtain smoothness and large-time behavior of the free boundary