Separating dissipative pulses: the exit manifold (Q1028629)

The following nonlinear system of reaction-diffusion equations in one space dimension is considered: \[ u_t=Du_{xx}+F(u,u_x) \] where \(u=u(x,t)\in {\mathbb R}^N\), \(D\) is a positive diagonal diffusion matrix, and \(F\) is \(C^{1,1}\). Systems of this form are used to model dynamics in excitable media such as signal propagation in nerve axons or the evolution of calcium waves in the heart. Assume that, among others, the system has a traveling wave solution \(u(x,t)=Q(x-ct)\) with appropriate conditions on the function \(Q\). Denote \(Q_{\pm}(x\mp ct)=Q(\pm(x-ct))\). Then the main result of the paper can be stated in the following. There exist \(L_0>0\) and \(\delta>0\) such that if the initial condition for the system is \[ u(x,0)=Q_+(x-x_+)+Q_-(x-x_-)+r_0(x) \] with \(x_+ -x_-=L\geq L_0\) and \(\|r_0\|_{H^1}\leq \delta\), then there exists \(\tilde{x}_{\pm}\) with \(|\tilde{x}_+|+|\tilde{x}_-|\leq C\|r_0\|_{H1}\) such that the solution \(u(x,t)\) satisfies \[ \|u(x,t)-Q_+(x-x_+ -\tilde{x}_- -ct)-Q_-(x-x_- -\tilde{x}_- +ct)\|_{{\mathcal H}^1_a}\leq C\|r_0\|_{H^1}. \] Here \({\mathcal H}^1_a\) is a space of functions which decay to zero exponentially quickly in time. This result means that if \(u(x,0)\) is close to the sum of two pulses separated by a distance \(L\), then \(u(x,t)\) converges exponentially quickly to the linear superposition of two slightly phase shifted pulses.