Multidimensional Reaction Diffusion Equations with Nonlinear Boundary Conditions (Q4210055)

Extending the work in \textit{A. A. Lacey}, \textit{J. R. Ockendon}, \textit{J. Sabina} and \textit{D. Salazar} [Rocky Mt. J. Math. 26, No. 1, 195-212 (1996; Zbl 0858.35066)] this paper is concerned with the asymptotic behaviour or \(\varepsilon\to 0^+\) of solutions of the weakly nonlinear boundary value problem \[ {\partial u\over\partial t}=\Delta u-\lambda uf(\varepsilon \ln u),\quad u(x,0)= u_0(x) \] in a bounded domain \(\Omega\) with piecewise smooth boundary \(\partial\Omega\), on the smooth parts of which \[ {\partial u\over\partial n}= ug(\varepsilon \ln u), \] where \(\partial/\partial n\) denotes the outward normal derivative. Here \(\lambda\) is a positive constant, and the dependence and stability of the solutions on \(\lambda\) is investigated. This dependence is revealed (in the limit of vanishing \(\varepsilon\)) via the solution \(v\) of the ordinary differential equation \[ {dv\over dt}+\lambda f(v)= F(g(v)) \] related to \(u\) by \(u\sim w(x,\varepsilon t)\exp(v(\varepsilon t)/\varepsilon)\). Here \(F(\gamma)\) denotes the largest eigenvalue of \[ \Delta\phi= \Lambda\phi\quad\text{in }\Omega,\quad {\partial\phi\over\partial n}= \gamma\phi\quad\text{on }\partial\Omega. \] The authors' investigation of this eigenvalue problem is principally by variational means. Their results are applied to various applications of exponential \(f\) and \(g\).