Nonlinear stability of a quasi-static Stefan problem with surface tension : a continuation approach

We consider a one-phase quasi-steady Stefan free boundary problem with surface tension, when the initial position of the free boundary is close to the unit sphere in R~ (v > 2), and expressed in the form r = It is proved that the problem has a unique global solution with free boundary which is analytic in E and which converges exponentially fast, as t -~ oo, to a sphere whose center and radius can both be expressed as power series in c. The methods developed here clearly extend to a general class of free boundary problems.