A density-dependent diffusion system with stable discontinuous stationary solutions (Q1120739)

The authors study the system \[ u_ t=\{(1+\alpha v)u\}_{xx}+R_ 1u(1-u-\beta v)\quad in\quad I\times {\mathbb{R}}^+, \] \[ v_ t=R_ 2v(1- v-\gamma u)\quad in\quad I\times {\mathbb{R}}^+, \] \[ \{(1+\alpha v)u\}_ x=0\quad in\quad \partial I\times {\mathbb{R}}^+ \] arising in population dynamics. Here \(I=(0,1)\), \(R_ 1,R_ 2>0\), \(\beta\in (0,1)\), \(\gamma\in (0,1)\) are constants, \(\alpha\geq 0\) is a parameter. There is a unique spatially homogeneous coexistence stability solution \([\bar u,\bar v]\) \((\bar u>0\), \(\bar v>0)\) which is asymptotically stable for \(\alpha <\alpha^*\) and unstable for \(\alpha >\alpha^*\), where \(\alpha^*>0\) depends on \(\beta\), \(\gamma\) \((\alpha^*=+\infty\) in some cases). The existence of several continua of discontinuous steady state solutions is proved, some of which exist for all \(\alpha\geq 0\). All these solutions are unstable for \(\alpha\) small enough, infinitely many of them are (in a suitable sense) stable for \(\alpha >1/\gamma \bar u\) where \(0<1/\gamma \bar u<\alpha^*\). Further, there are continuous spatially nonhomogeneous steady states for \(\alpha >\alpha^*\) but they are never stable. Hence, the ``cross diffusion'' destabilizes the spatially homogeneous coexistence steady state and stabilizes some steady states exhibiting segregation effects.