Mode-doubling and tripling in reaction-diffusion patterns on growing domains: a piecewise linear model (Q1605965)

The concentration \(u(x,t)\) of a chemical species reacting in and diffusing through a growing one-dimensional domain \(\Omega(t)\) (\(x\in\Omega(t)\), \(t\in [0,\infty)\)) is governed by an equation of the form \[ \dot u_t+ (au)_x= \omega^1 D_u u_{xx}+ R(u,v,\dots), \] where \(a(x,t)\) is a local flow rate, \(D_u\) is a diffusion coefficient, \(\omega\) is a characteristic of the reaction kinetics, \(R(u,v,\dots)\) describes reactions. Some boundary value problems with systems of such equations are studied. Introducing a piecewise linear approximation, the authors find closed form approximate solutions for steady-state patterns; the existence of these steady-state solutions, related to the domain length, is studied.