Changing Time History in Moving Boundary Problems

A class of diffusion-stress equations modeling transport of solvent in glassy polymers is considered. The problem is formulated as a one-phase Stefan problem. It is shown that the moving front changes like √t initially but quickly behaves like t as t increases. The behavior is typical of stress-dominated transport. The quasi-steady state approximation is used to analyze the time history of the moving front. This analysis is motivated by the small time solution

Transitions between nonsymmetric and symmetric steady states near a triple eigenvalue

We examine the existence of nonuniform steady-state solutions of a certain class of reaction-diffusion equations. Our analysis concentrates on the case where the first bifurcation is near a triple eigenvalue. We derive the conditions for a continuous transition between nonsymmetric and symmetric solutions when the bifurcation parameter progressively increases from zero. Finally, we give an example of a four variables model which presents the possibility of a triple eigenvalue

Free boundary problems in controlled release pharmaceuticals. I: diffusion in glassy polymers

This paper formulates and studies two different problems occurring in the formation and use of pharmaceuticals via controlled release methods. These problems involve a glassy polymer and a penetrant, and the central problem is to predict and control the diffusive behavior of the penetrant through the polymer. The mathematical theory yields free boundary problems which are studied in various asymptotic regimes

Imperfect Bifurcation Near a Double Eigenvalue: Transitions Between Nonsymmetric and Symmetric Patterns

We examine the existence of nonsymmetric and symmetric steady state solutions of a general class of reaction-diffusion equations. Our study consists of two parts: (i) By analyzing the bifurcation from a uniform reference state to nonuniform regimes, we demonstrate the existence of a unique symmetric solution (basic wave number two) which becomes linearly stable when it surpasses a critical amplitude. (We assume that the first bifurcation point corresponds to the emergence of the simplest nonsymmetric steady state solutions.) (ii) This result is not affected when a parameter is nonuniformly distributed in the system. However, one of the two possible branches of nonsymmetric solutions may disappear from the bifurcation diagram. Our analysis is motivated by the fact that experimental observations of pattern transitions during morphogenesis are interpreted in terms of the dynamics of stable concentration gradients. We have shown that in addition to the values of the physico-chemical parameters, these structures can be selected by two different mechanisms: (i) the linear stability of the nonuniform patterns, (ii) the effects of a small and nonuniform variation of a parameter in the spatial domain

Controlled Drug Release Asymptotics

The solution of Higushi's model for controlled release of drugs is examined when the solubility of the drug in the polymer matrix is a prescribed function of time. A time-dependent solubility results either from an external control or from a change in pH due to the activation of pH immobilized enzymes. The model is described as a one-phase moving boundary problem which cannot be solved exactly. We consider two limits of our problem. The first limit considers a solubility much smaller than the initial loading of the drug. This limit leads to a pseudo-steady-state approximation of the diffusion equation and has been widely used when the solubility is constant. The second limit considers a solubility close to the initial loading of the drug. It requires a boundary layer analysis and has never been explored before. We obtain simple analytical expressions for the release rate which exhibits the effect of the time-dependent solubility

Tipping points near a delayed saddle node bifurcation with periodic forcing

We consider the effect on tipping from an additive periodic forcing in a canonical model with a saddle node bifurcation and a slowly varying bifurcation parameter. Here tipping refers to the dramatic change in dynamical behavior characterized by a rapid transition away from a previously attracting state. In the absence of the periodic forcing, it is well-known that a slowly varying bifurcation parameter produces a delay in this transition, beyond the bifurcation point for the static case. Using a multiple scales analysis, we consider the effect of amplitude and frequency of the periodic forcing relative to the drifting rate of the slowly varying bifurcation parameter. We show that a high frequency oscillation drives an earlier tipping when the bifurcation parameter varies more slowly, with the advance of the tipping point proportional to the square of the ratio of amplitude to frequency. In the low frequency case the position of the tipping point is affected by the frequency, amplitude and phase of the oscillation. The results are based on an analysis of the local concavity of the trajectory, used for low frequencies both of the same order as the drifting rate of the bifurcation parameter and for low frequencies larger than the drifting rate. The tipping point location is advanced with increased amplitude of the periodic forcing, with critical amplitudes where there are jumps in the location, yielding significant advances in the tipping point. We demonstrate the analysis for two applications with saddle node-type bifurcations

Multirhythmicity in an optoelectronic oscillator with large delay

An optoelectronic oscillator exhibiting a large delay in its feedback loop is studied both experimentally and theoretically. We show that multiple square-wave oscillations may coexist for the same values of the parameters (multirhythmicity). Depending on the sign of the phase shift, these regimes admit either periods close to an integer fraction of the delay or periods close to an odd integer fraction of twice the delay. These periodic solutions emerge from successive Hopf bifurcation points and stabilize at a finite amplitude following a scenario similar to Eckhaus instability in spatially extended systems. We find quantitative agreements between experiments and numerical simulations. The linear stability of the square-waves is substantiated analytically by determining stable fixed points of a map.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

Excitable-like chaotic pulses in the bounded-phase regime of an opto-radiofrequency oscillator

We report theoretical and experimental evidence of chaotic pulses with excitable-like properties in an opto-radiofrequency oscillator based on a self-injected dual-frequency laser. The chaotic attractor involved in the dynamics produces pulses that, albeit chaotic, are quite regular: They all have similar amplitudes, and are almost periodic in time. Thanks to these features, the system displays properties that are similar to those of excitable systems. In particular, the pulses exhibit a threshold-like response, of well-defined amplitude, to perturbations, and it appears possible to define a refractory time. At variance with excitability in injected lasers, here the excitable-like pulses are not accompanied by phase slips.Comment: 2nd versio

Negative-coupling resonances in pump-coupled lasers

We consider coupled lasers, where the intensity deviations from the steady state, modulate the pump of the other lasers. Most of our results are for two lasers where the coupling constants are of opposite sign. This leads to a Hopf bifurcation to periodic output for weak coupling. As the magnitude of the coupling constants is increased (negatively) we observe novel amplitude effects such as a weak coupling resonance peak and, strong coupling subharmonic resonances and chaos. In the weak coupling regime the output is predicted by a set of slow evolution amplitude equations. Pulsating solutions in the strong coupling limit are described by discrete map derived from the original model.Comment: 29 pages with 8 figures Physica D, in pres

Mesa-type patterns in the one-dimensional Brusselator and their stability

The Brusselator is a generic reaction-diffusion model for a tri-molecular chemical reaction. We consider the case when the input and output reactions are slow. In this limit, we show the existence of $K$-periodic, spatially bi-stable structures, \emph{mesas}, and study their stability. Using singular perturbation techniques, we find a threshold for the stability of $K$ mesas. This threshold occurs in the regime where the exponentially small tails of the localized structures start to interact. By comparing our results with Turing analysis, we show that in the generic case, a Turing instability is followed by a slow coarsening process whereby logarithmically many mesas are annihilated before the system reaches a steady equilibrium state. We also study a ``breather''-type instability of a mesa, which occurs due to a Hopf bifurcation. Full numerical simulations are shown to confirm the analytical results.Comment: to appear, Physica