Nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems with variable diffusivities: Lie symmetries, ansätze and exact solutions (Q557847)

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Nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems with variable diffusivities: Lie symmetries, ansätze and exact solutions
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    Nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems with variable diffusivities: Lie symmetries, ansätze and exact solutions (English)
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    30 June 2005
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    The classification of the classes of Lie point symmetries of the system of reaction-diffusion equations \[ U_t= (D_1(U)U_x)_x+ F(U,V),\quad V_t= (D_2(V)V_x)_x+ G(U,V), \] in which \((D_1, D_2)\) is a nonconstant vector, \(\partial F/\partial V\neq 0\) and \(\partial G/\partial U\neq 0\), is shown to give ten nonequivalence classes of systems. Of particular use is the provision of the possible equivalence transformations so that the classification is complete and yet compact. The proof is exhaustive. The rest of the paper is concerned with the case that the functions \(F\) and \(G\) admit nonlinearities only as powers. This, coupled with the classification of the first part of the paper, leads to the reduction of the system to what is termed a degenerate diffusive Lotka-Volterra system, i.e. the nonlinearities are limited to quadratic terms. There after their follow a number of cases which are treated by `non-Lie Ansätze' in which the dependent variables are assumed to take the form \(u= \phi_i(t)a_i(x)\), \(v= \psi_i(t)a_i(x)\), \(i= 0,2\), where the \(a_i(x)\) solutions of the third-order differential equation \(\beta_1(t) y'+ \beta_2(t)y''+ y'''= 0\) for which \(\beta_1\) and \(\beta_2\) are assumed to be parameters and the precise forms that the functions \(a_i(x)\) take depends upon \(\beta_1\) and \(\beta_2\). This Ansatz leads to a system of first-order differential equations for the \(\phi_i(t)\) and \(\psi_i(t)\), \(i= 0,2\), and on the solution of the system closed-form solutions for the original system are obtained. The calculations are nontrivial and require more than a little ingenuity. Nevertheless solutions are obtained. The authors make the point that the solutions are obtained do not follow from the Lie analysis. This aspect doubtless needs considerable further investigation. The symmetries considered in the proof of the theorem on the basic classification are point symmetries and so a very finite, albeit significant, subset of the infinite number of Lie symmetries -- generators of infinitesimal transformations which leave the given differential equations invariant -- possessed by the system. Another point of interest for further development is the role of symmetries in mapping solutions to solutions. Does this property apply to the solutions obtained here given that they do not correspond to one of the point symmetries of the original system. The expansions used can be interpreted as a truncation of a generalised Fourier series, and this would allow for a simpler initial investigation of linear partial differential equations to gain clarification before confronting the additional hurdle of nonlinearity. Unfortunately the language of the paper is not what one would desire. It is particularly irksome to find the repeated use of `exact' for `closed-form'.
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    reaction-diffusion
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    Lie symmetry
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    Lotka-Volterra
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    closed form solutions
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