Generalized transition fronts for one-dimensional almost periodic Fisher-KPP equations (Q509957)

The authors are concerned with one-dimensional Fisher-KPP equations of the type \[ u_t-(a(x)u_x)_x = c(x)u(1-u),\quad t \in \mathbb{R}, \; x \in \mathbb{R}, \eqno{(1)} \] with coefficients \(a \in \mathcal{C}^1(\mathbb{R}), c \in \mathcal{C}(\mathbb{R})\) satisfying the following assumptions: \[ \inf_{\mathbb{R}} a> 0, \quad \inf_{\mathbb{R}} c>a, a', c \] are almost periodic. According to \textit{H. Berestycki} and \textit{F. Hamel} [Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 65, No. 5, 592--648 (2012; Zbl 1248.35039)] a generalized transition front of equation (1) is a time-global solution \(u\) for which there exists a function \(X : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\) such that \[ {\lim}_{x\to -\infty} u(t, x+X(t)) = 1, \quad {\lim}_{x\to -\infty}( u(t, x+X(t)) = 0, \eqno{(2)} \] uniformly in \(t \in \mathbb{R}\). \( u\) has \({\lim}_{t-s \to +\infty} \frac{X(t) - X(s)}{t- s} = w.\) Travelling fronts and pulsating travelling fronts are particular instances of generalized transition fronts, with \(X(t) = wt.\) The basic goal of this article is the investigation of the the existence of generalized transition fronts for Fisher-KPP equations in one-dimensional, almost periodic media. The characterization of the minimal average speed of generalized transition fronts involves, as in periodic media [\textit{G. Nadin}, J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 92, No. 3, 232--262 (2009; Zbl 1182.35074)], the eigenfunctions of the linearized operator near the unstable steady state \(u \equiv 0\), that is, \[ \mathcal{L}\phi:=(a(x)\phi')'+ c(x)\phi. \eqno{(3)} \] Besides the almost periodicity of the coefficients, it is assume the following: Hypothesis 1. The operator \(\mathcal{L}\) admits an a.p. positive eigenfunction, that is, there exists an a.p. positive function \(\phi_1 \in \mathcal{C}^2(\mathbb{R})\) such that \(\mathcal{L}\phi_1= \lambda_1\phi_11\) in \(\mathbb{R}.\) Proposition 1. The following properties hold for all \(\gamma > \lambda_1\): \((i)\) There exists a unique positive solution \(\phi_{\gamma}\in \mathcal{C}^2(\mathbb{R})\) of \[ \mathcal{L}\phi_{\gamma} = \gamma \phi_{\gamma} \quad in \quad \mathbb{R},\quad \phi_{\gamma}(0) = 1,\quad {\lim}_{x\to +\infty}\phi_{\gamma}(x) = 0. \eqno{(5)} \] \((ii)\) There exists the limit \(\mu(\gamma):= -{\lim}_{{x\to \pm \infty}}\frac{1}{x}\ln\phi_{\gamma}(x)>0\). The main result of the article is presented in the following Theorem. Let \(\mu(\gamma)\) be as in Proposition 1. Then, under Hypothesis 1, there exists \(w^*:= \min_{\gamma>\lambda_1}\frac{\gamma}{\mu(\gamma)}>0\) and the following properties hold: \((i)\) For all \(w\geqq w^*\): there exists a time-increasing generalized transition front with average speed \(w\); for \(w>w^*\), the front can be written as \(u(t, x) = U(\int_0^x \sigma-t, x)\),where \(\sigma \in \mathcal{C}(\mathbb{R})\) is a.p. and has average \(1/w\) and \(U = U(z, x)\) is a.p. in x uniformly in \(z \in \mathbb{R}\). \((ii)\) There are no generalized transition fronts with average speed \(w<w^*\).