Stability, free energy and dynamics of multi-spikes in the minimal Keller-Segel model (Q2131192)

In this article, the authors study the stability of multi-spike steady states of the \(1\)-D Keller-Segel model \[ \begin{cases} u_t = (u_x - \kappa uv_x)_x, \quad x \in (0,L), \ t >0, \\ v_t = v_{xx} - v +u, \quad x \in (0,L), \ t >0, \\ u_x(x,t) = v_x(x,t) = 0, \quad x \in (0,L), \ t >0, \\ \int_0^L u(x,0) \ dx = M>0, \end{cases} \tag{1} \] where \(L < \infty\), \(\kappa >0\) a constant and the initial datum \(u(x,0), v(x,0)\) are assumed to be non-negative. Each steady state of (1) can be extended evenly and periodically to the whole space \(\mathbb{R}\). In [J. Differ. Equations 257, No. 9, 3102--3134 (2014; Zbl 1302.35053)] \textit{X. Chen} et al. showed that the decreasing steady states of (1) are unique if \(\kappa \gg 1\), and such steady states are locally asymptotically stable in \(H^1\)-topology. In addition, they obtained a rigorous asymptotic expansion of the solutions and prove that it is locally and exponentially stable. Such expansions are called single boundary spike. Since the steady states are monotone, by reflecting with respect to either \(L\) or \(0\) and scaling it to \((0,L)\) one gets either a double boundary spike or a single interior spike. The authors of this article showed that both the double boundary spike and single interior spike are unstable steady states. The same result holds for multi-spike steady states: for each \(n \in \mathbb{N}\) there exists only two pairs of symmetric multi-spike steady states of (1) which change sign \((n-1)\)-times in \((0,L)\), and all these steady states are unstable. Finally, the authors showed that the energy (with respect to an appropriately defined Lyapunov functional) of the interior spiked steady states increases as the number of spikes increases and the constant steady state has the highest energy compared to the spiked ones. In particular, the monotone steady states are most stable, and the constant steady states are most unstable. The authors also presented numerical simulations to illustrate and support their theoretical results.