On the necessity of gaps (Q2502559)

Summary: Recent papers have studied the existence of phase transition solutions for model equations of Allen-Cahn type equations, namely \[ -\Delta u+G_ u(x,y,u)=0,\quad(x,y)\in {\mathbb R}^2, \] where \(G\) is \(C^ 2\), nonnegative, 1-periodic in \(x\) and \(y\) and satisfies \[ G(x,y,0)=G(x,y,1)=0\quad\text{ and }\;G(x,y,z)>0 \] for all \(z\in (0,1)\) and all \(x,y\in {\mathbb R}\). These solutions are either single or multi-transition spatially heteroclinics or homoclinics between simpler equilibrium states. A sufficient condition of the construction of the multi-transition solutions is that there are gaps in the ordered set of single transition solutions. In this paper we explore the necessity of these gap conditions.