Normal trace inequalities and decay of solutions to the nonlinear Maxwell system with absorbing boundary

Abstract: We study the quasilinear Maxwell system with a strictly positive, state dependent boundary conductivity. For small data we show that the solution exists for all times and decays exponentially to $0$. As in related literature we assume a nontrapping condition. Our approach relies on a new trace estimate for the corresponding non-autonomous linear problem, an observability-type estimate, and a detailed regularity analysis. The results are improved in the linear autonomous case, using properties of the Helmholtz decomposition in Sobolev spaces of (small) negative order.