Self-motion of camphor discs: model and analysis (Q2268180)

The authors introduce a model describing the motions of camphor disks on the surface of a water vessel. They try to understand the evolution of the disks under small disturbances and their interactions with the boundary. The mathematical modelling is based on the mechanical equilibrium of a finite number \(m\) of disks interacting with water through surface tension and diffusion forces, leading to a non-local reaction-diffusion system for the surface concentration \(c(x_1,x_2,t)\), coupled to a dynamical system describing the motion of the centers \(P_j(t)\) of the disks. The case \(m=1\) is first studied using linearized stability arguments, and the general case \(m>1\) is evoked in the last section.