Dynamics of Interfaces in the Two-Dimensional Wave-Pinning Model

Abstract

We study the mass-conserved reaction-diffusion system known as the wave-pinning model, which serves as a minimal framework for describing cell polarity. In this model, the interplay between reaction kinetics and slow diffusion forms a sharp interface that partitions the domain into high- and low-concentration regions. We perform a detailed asymptotic analysis and derive higher-order approximation equations governing the motion of this interface. Our results show that on a fast timescale, the interface evolves via propagating front dynamics, whereas on a slow timescale, it evolves as an area-preserving mean curvature flow. Furthermore, using the derived free boundary problem, we demonstrate that on a significantly slower timescale, an interface whose endpoints lie on the domain boundary drifts along the boundary toward regions of higher curvature. In summary, our analysis reveals that the interface dynamics in the wave-pinning model exhibit a hierarchy of three distinct timescales: wave propagation on a fast timescale, curvature-driven area-preserving evolution on a slow timescale, and motion along the boundary on a significantly slower timescale.