Existence and Uniqueness of Traveling Waves for Fully Overdamped Frenkel–Kontorova Models

In this article, we study the existence and the uniqueness of traveling waves for a discrete reaction–diffusion equation with bistable nonlinearity, namely a generalization of the fully overdamped Frenkel–Kontorova model. This model consists of a system of ODEs which describes the dynamics of crystal defects in lattice solids. Under very weak assumptions, we prove the existence of a traveling wave solution and the uniqueness of the velocity of propagation of this traveling wave. The question of the uniqueness of the profile is also studied by proving Strong Maximum Principle or some weak asymptotics on the profile at infinity.     

Traveling Waves in Diffusive Random Media

The current paper is devoted to the study of traveling waves in diffusive random media, including time and/or space recurrent, almost periodic, quasiperiodic, periodic ones as special cases. It first introduces a notion of traveling waves in general random media, which is a natural extension of the classical notion of traveling waves. Roughly speaking, a solution to a diffusive random equation is a traveling wave solution if both its propagating profile and its propagating speed are random variables. Then by adopting such a point of view that traveling wave solutions are limits of certain wave-like solutions, a general existence theory of traveling waves is established. It shows that the existence of a wave-like solution implies the existence of a critical traveling wave solution, which is the traveling wave solution with minimal propagating speed in many cases. When the media is ergodic, some deterministic \hbox{properties} of average propagating profile and average propagating speed of a traveling wave solution are derived. When the media is compact, certain continuity of the propagating profile of a critical traveling wave solution is obtained. Moreover, if the media is almost periodic, then a critical traveling wave solution is almost automorphic and if the media is periodic, then so is a critical traveling wave solution. Applications of the general theory to a bistable media are discussed. The results obtained in the paper generalize many existing ones on traveling waves. AMS Subject Classification: 35K55, 35K57, 35B50     

Existence of multidimensional traveling waves in the transport of reactive solutes through periodic porous media

We prove the existence of multidimensional traveling-wave solutions to the scalar equation for the transport of solutes (contaminants) with nonlinear adsorption and spatially periodic convection-diffusion-adsorption coefficients under the assumption that the nonlinear adsorption function satisfies the Lax and Oleinik entropy conditions. In the nondegenerate case, we also prove the uniqueness of the traveling waves. These traveling waves are analogues of viscous shock profiles. They propagate with effective speeds that depend on the periodic porous media only up to their mean states, and are given by an averaged Rankine-Hugoniot relation. This is a direct consequence of the fact that the transport equation is in conservation form. We use the sliding domain method, the continuation method, spectral theory, maximum principles, and a priori estimates. In the degenerate case, the traveling waves are weak solutions of a degenerate parabolic equation and are only Holder continuous. We obtain them by taking suitable limits on the non-degenerate traveling waves. The uniqueness of the degenerate traveling waves is open.     

Uniqueness of the Bistable Traveling Wave for Mutualist Species

For a system of reaction–diffusion equations that models the interaction of n mutualist species, the existence of the bistable traveling wave solution has been proved where the nonlinear reaction terms possess a certain type of monotonicity. However the problem of whether there can be two distinct traveling waves remains open. In this paper we use a homotopy approach incorporated with the Liapunov–Schmidt method to show that the bistable traveling wave solution is unique. Our method developed in this paper can also be applied to study the existence and uniqueness of traveling wave solutions for some competition models.     

Fronts Between Periodic Patterns for Bistable Recursions on Lattices

Bistable space–time discrete systems commonly possess a large variety of stable stationary solutions with periodic profile. In this context, it is natural to ask about the fate of trajectories composed of interfaces between steady configurations with periodic pattern and in particular, to study their propagation as traveling fronts. Here, we investigate such fronts in piecewise affine bistable recursions on the one-dimensional lattice. By introducing a definition inspired by symbolic dynamics, we prove the existence of front solutions and uniqueness of their velocity, upon the existence of their ground patterns. Moreover, the velocity dependence on parameters and the co-existence of several fronts with distinct ground patterns are also described. Finally, robustness of the results to small $C^1$ -perturbations of the piecewise affine map is argued by mean continuation arguments.     

Existence and stability of traveling waves in periodic media governed by a bistable nonlinearity

We prove the existence of multidimensional traveling wave solutions of the bistable reaction-diffusion equation with periodic coefficients under the condition that these coefficients are close to constants. In the case of one space dimension, we prove their asymptotic stability.     

Entire Solutions with Annihilating Fronts to a Nonlocal Dispersal Equation with Bistable Nonlinearity and Spatio-Temporal Delay

This paper deals with the entire solutions to a nonlocal dispersal bistable equation with spatio-temporal delay. Assuming that the equation has a traveling wave front with non-zero wave speed, we establish the existence of entire solutions with annihilating-fronts by using the comparison principle combined with explicit constructions of sub- and supersolutions. These entire solutions constitute a two-dimensional manifold and the traveling wave fronts belong to the boundary of the manifold. We also prove the uniqueness, Liapunov stability and continuous dependence on the shift parameters of the entire solutions.     

Traveling Waves in Spatial SIRS Models

We study traveling wavefront solutions for two reaction–diffusion systems, which are derived respectively as diffusion approximations to two nonlocal spatial SIRS models. These solutions characterize the propagating progress and speed of the spatial spread of underlying epidemic waves. For the first diffusion system, we find a lower bound for wave speeds and prove that the traveling waves exist for all speeds bigger than this bound. For the second diffusion system, we find the minimal wave speed and show that the traveling waves exist for all speeds bigger than or equal to the minimal speed. We further prove the uniqueness (up to translation) of these solutions for sufficiently large wave speeds. The existence of these solutions are proved by a shooting argument combining with LaSalle’s invariance principle, and their uniqueness by a geometric singular perturbation argument.     

Time Periodic Traveling Waves for a Periodic and Diffusive SIR Epidemic Model

In this paper, we study the time periodic traveling wave solutions for a periodic SIR epidemic model with diffusion and standard incidence. We establish the existence of periodic traveling waves by investigating the fixed points of a nonlinear operator defined on an appropriate set of periodic functions. Then we prove the nonexistence of periodic traveling via the comparison arguments combined with the properties of the spreading speed of an associated subsystem.     

Rich dynamics in a non-local population model over three patches

We consider a system of nonlinear delay differential equations that describes the growth of the mature population of a species with age-structure living over three patches. We analyze existence of non-negative homogeneous equilibria and their stability and discuss possible Hopf bifurcation from these equilibria. More precisely, by employing both the standard Hopf bifurcation theory and the symmetric bifurcation theory for functional differential equations, we obtain very rich dynamics for the system, including bistable equilibria, transient oscillations, synchronous periodic solutions, phase-locked periodic solutions, mirror-reflecting waves and standing waves.     

Hybrid dynamics of two coupled oscillators that can impact a fixed stop

We consider two linearly coupled masses, where one mass can have inelastic impacts with a fixed, rigid stop. This leads to the study of a two degree of freedom, piecewise linear, frictionless, unforced, constrained mechanical system. The system is governed by three types of dynamics: coupled harmonic oscillation, simple harmonic motion and discrete rebounds. Energy is dissipated discontinuously in discrete amounts, through impacts with the stop. We prove the existence of a non-zero measure set of orbits that lead to infinite impacts with the stop in a finite time. We show how to modify the mathematical model so that forward existence and uniqueness of solutions for all time is guaranteed. Existence of hybrid periodic orbits is shown. A geometrical interpretation of the dynamics based on action coordinates is used to visualize numerical simulation results for the asymptotic dynamics.     

Spatial Dynamics of a Discrete-Time Population Model in a Periodic Lattice Habitat

This paper is devoted to the study of spatial dynamics of a class of discrete-time population models in a periodic lattice habitat. In the general case of recruitment functions, we obtain the existence and computation formula of spreading speeds and show that they coincide with the minimal wave speeds for periodic traveling waves in the positive and negative directions.     

Stability for Monostable Wave Fronts of Delayed Lattice Differential Equations

This paper is concerned with the stability of traveling wave fronts for delayed monostable lattice differential equations. We first investigate the existence non-existence and uniqueness of traveling wave fronts by using the technique of monotone iteration method and Ikehara theorem. Then we apply the contraction principle to obtain the existence, uniqueness, and positivity of solutions for the Cauchy problem. Next, we study the stability of a traveling wave front by using comparison theorems for the Cauchy problem and initial-boundary value problem of the lattice differential equations, respectively. We show that any solution of the Cauchy problem converges exponentially to a traveling wave front provided that the initial function is a perturbation of the traveling wave front, whose asymptotic behaviour at \(-\infty \) satisfying some restrictions. Our results can apply to many lattice differential equations, for examples, the delayed cellular neural networks model and discrete diffusive Nicholson’s blowflies equation.     

Periodic Travelling Waves of Forced FPU Lattices

In this article, damped Fermi–Pasta–Ulam-type lattices driven by extended external forces are considered. The existence and uniqueness results of periodic travelling waves of the system are presented. The existence and the stability of periodic waves are also computed and discussed numerically.     

Traveling Waves in a Convolution Model for Phase Transitions

The existence, uniqueness, stability and regularity properties of traveling-wave solutions of a bistable nonlinear integrodifferential equation are established, as well as their global asymptotic stability in the case of zero-velocity continuous waves. This equation is a direct analog of the more familiar bistable nonlinear diffusion equation, and shares many of its properties. It governs gradient flows for free-energy functionals with general nonlocal interaction integrals penalizing spatial nonuniformity. (Accepted October 16, 1995)     

Generalized Traveling Waves in Disordered Media: Existence, Uniqueness, and Stability

We prove existence, uniqueness, and stability of transition fronts (generalized traveling waves) for reaction-diffusion equations in cylindrical domains with general inhomogeneous ignition reactions. We also show uniform convergence of solutions with exponentially decaying initial data to time translations of the front. In the case of stationary ergodic reactions, the fronts are proved to propagate with a deterministic positive speed. Our results extend to reaction-advection-diffusion equations with periodic advection and diffusion.     

Bistable Waves in an Epidemic Model

The existence, uniqueness up to translation and global exponential stability with phase shift of bistable travelling waves are established for a quasimonotone reaction–diffusion system modelling man–environment–man epidemics. The methods involve phase space investigation, monotone semiflows approach and spectrum analysis.Dedicated to Professor Shui-Nee Chow on the occasion of his 60th birthday.Supported in part by the NSERC of Canada     

Erratum to “Bistable Waves in an Epidemic Model” [<Emphasis Type="Italic">J. Dynam. Diff. Eq.</Emphasis> 16, 679--707 (2004)]

The existence, uniqueness up to translation and global exponential stability with phase shift of bistable travelling waves are established for a quasi- monotone reaction–diffusion system modelling man–environment–man epidemics. The methods involve phase space investigation, monotone semiflows approach and spectrum analysis.Dedicated to Professor Shui-Nee Chow on the occasion of his 60th birthday; Supported in part by the NSERC of Canada.     

Shocks versus kinks in a discrete model of displacive phase transitions

We consider dynamics of phase boundaries in a bistable one-dimensional lattice with harmonic long-range interactions. Using Fourier transform and Wiener–Hopf technique, we construct traveling wave solutions that represent both subsonic phase boundaries (kinks) and intersonic ones (shocks). We derive the kinetic relation for kinks that provides a needed closure for the continuum theory. We show that the different structure of the roots of the dispersion relation in the case of shocks introduces an additional free parameter in these solutions, which thus do not require a kinetic relation on the macroscopic level. The case of ferromagnetic second-neighbor interactions is analyzed in detail. We show that the model parameters have a significant effect on the existence, structure, and stability of the traveling waves, as well as their behavior near the sonic limit.     

Existence,Uniqueness and Asymptotic Stability of Traveling Wavefronts in A Non-Local Delayed Diffusion Equation

In this paper, we study the existence, uniqueness, and global asymptotic stability of traveling wave fronts in a non-local reaction–diffusion model for a single species population with two age classes and a fixed maturation period living in a spatially unbounded environment. Under realistic assumptions on the birth function, we construct various pairs of super and sub solutions and utilize the comparison and squeezing technique to prove that the equation has exactly one non-decreasing traveling wavefront (up to a translation) which is monotonically increasing and globally asymptotic stable with phase shift.