arXiv subjects

Jared C. Bronski

Publications and source records attributed to Jared C. Bronski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Global asymptotic stability of KdV-Burgers fronts in a weakly two-dimensional model

We study front-type solutions of nonlinear dispersive-dissipative PDEs modeling the propagation of undular bores in a channel in two dimensions. The system extends the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers (KdVB) equation by incorporating weak transverse motion, and admits the KdVB fronts as one-dimensional solutions. We investigate their stability under general two-dimensional perturbations. We prove that a one-dimensional front is a global asymptotic attractor in the weakly two-dimensional setting when the channel is sufficiently narrow in the transverse direction and the relative dispersion parameter lies in a range for stability to one-dimensional perturbations. Particularly, the front is unique up to spatial translations. The proof extends the energy method for temporally-modulated perturbed solutions, developed previously in the one-dimensional setting, to accommodate the transverse dynamics.

math.AP↗

arXiv2026

Cycle intersection form and oscillation of graph eigenfunctions

For a real symmetric matrix $H$ strictly supported on a finite simple graph, it is shown that the inertia of a weighted intersection form on the cycle space of the graph, with weights derived from a non-vanishing eigenvector of $H$, governs oscillation data on the graph. Specifically, the null space of the form controls eigenvalue multiplicity, while its Morse index determines the number of sign changes across edges. In the case of a simple eigenvalue, the Hessian at zero of the eigenvalue branch of the discrete magnetic Schrödinger operator is identified with the dual of the cycle intersection form. Applications are given to stability analysis of coupled oscillator networks, to the local behavior of dispersion relations for (decorated) strained graphene, and to nodal-domain counts.

math.SP↗

arXiv2026

The Evans function as a lower bound on the spectral distance function

The Evans function is an analytic function that encodes information about the intersection of certain subspaces in ODE boundary value problems. As such it is a useful tool for computing the spectrum of boundary value problems arising in the stability of coherent structures. In typical applications one is interested in the roots of the Evans function, but the overall normalization is somewhat arbitrary. We present a natural normalization of the Evans function on compact domains such that the magnitude of the Evans function provides a lower bound on the distance to the nearest point in the spectrum. In other words the magnitude of the Evans function at a point in the resolvent set implies that a ball about the point in question lies in the resolvent set. Thus, when appropriately normalized, not only does the Evans function $E(λ)$ vanish if and only if $λ$ lies in the spectrum of the operator in question, but a non-zero value for the Evans function guarantees that a disk of radius $|E(λ^*)|$ about the point $λ^*$ lies in the resolvent set. We present some calculations for some common sets of boundary conditions on a compact interval, and present some numerical experiments for 2nd and 4th order self-adjoint operators and for a linearized modified Korteweg-De Vries equation.

math.SP↗

arXiv2025

Asymptotic stability of sharp fronts: Analysis and rigorous computation

We investigate the stability of traveling front solutions to nonlinear diffusive-dispersive equations of Burgers type, with a primary focus on the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers (KdVB) equation, although our analytical findings extend more broadly. Manipulating the temporal modulation of the translation parameter of the front and employing the energy method, we establish asymptotic, nonlinear, and orbital stability, provided that an auxiliary Schrödinger equation possesses precisely one bound state. Notably, our result is independent of the monotonicity of the profile and does not necessitate the initial condition to be close to the front. We identify a sufficient condition for stability based on a functional that characterizes the 'width' of the traveling wave profile. Analytical verification for the KdVB equation confirms that this sufficient condition holds for the relative dispersion parameter within an open interval $ν\in [-0.25,0.25]$, encompassing all monotone profiles. Utilizing validated numerics or rigorous computation, we present acomputer-assisted proof demonstrating that the stability condition itself holds for parameter values within the interval [0.2533, 3.9].

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

Correlation function of a random scalar field evolving with a rapidly fluctuating Gaussian process

We consider a scalar field governed by an advection-diffusion equation (or a more general evolution equation) with rapidly fluctuating, Gaussian distributed random coefficients. In the white noise limit, we derive the closed evolution equation for the ensemble average of the random scalar field by three different strategies, i.e., Feynman-Kac formula, the limit of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, and evaluating the cluster expansion of the propagator on an $n$-simplex. With the evolution equation of ensemble average, we study the passive scalar transport problem with two different types of flows, a random periodic flow, and a random strain flow. For periodic flows, by utilizing the homogenization method, we show that the $N$-point correlation function of the random scalar field satisfies an effective diffusion equation at long times. For the strain flow, we explicit compute the mean of the random scalar field and show that the statistics of the random scalar field have a connection to the time integral of geometric Brownian motion. Interestingly, all normalized moment (e.g., skewness, kurtosis) of this random scalar field diverges at long times, meaning that the scalar becomes more and more intermittent during its decay.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Superharmonic instability for regularized long-wave models

We examine the spectral stability and instability of periodic traveling waves for regularized long-wave models. Examples include the regularized Boussinesq, Benney--Luke, and Benjamin--Bona--Mahony equations. Of particular interest is a striking new instability phenomenon -- spectrum off the imaginary axis extending into infinity. The spectrum of the linearized operator of the generalized Korteweg--de Vries equation, for instance, lies along the imaginary axis outside a bounded set. The spectrum for a regularized long-wave model, by contrast, can vary markedly with the parameters of the periodic traveling waves. We carry out asymptotic spectral analysis to short wavelength perturbations, distinguishing whether the spectrum tends to infinity along the imaginary axis or some curve whose real part is nonzero. We conduct numerical experiments to corroborate our analytical findings.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Synchronization conditions in the Kuramoto model and their relationship to seminorms

In this paper we address two questions about the synchronization of coupled oscillators in the Kuramoto model with all-to-all coupling. In the first part we use some classical results in convex geometry to prove bounds on the size of the frequency set supporting the existence of stable, phase locked solutions and show that the set of such frequencies can be expressed by a seminorm which we call the Kuramoto norm. In the second part we use some ideas from extreme order statistics to compute upper and lower bounds on the probability of synchronization for very general frequency distributions. We do so by computing exactly the limiting extreme value distribution of a quantity that is equivalent to the Kuramoto norm.

math.DS↗

arXiv2020

A moment inequality and positivity for signed graph Laplacians

A number of recent papers have considered signed graph Laplacians, a generalization of the classical graph Laplacian, where the edge weights are allowed to take either sign. In the classical case, where the edge weights are all positive, the Laplacian is positive semi-definite with the dimension of the kernel representing the number of connected components of the graph. In many applications one is interested in establishing conditions which guarantee the positive semi-definiteness of the matrix. In this paper we present an inequality on the eigenvalues of a weighted graph Laplacian (where the weights need not have any particular sign) in terms of the first two moments of the edge weights. This bound involves the eigenvalues of the equally weighted Laplacian on the graph as well as the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of the line graph (the edge-to-vertex dual graph). For a regular graph the bound can be expressed entirely in terms of the second eigenvalue of the equally weighted Laplacian, an object that has been extensively studied in connection with expander graphs and spectral measures of graph connectivity. We present several examples including Erdős-Rényi random graphs in the critical and subcritical regimes, random large $d$-regular graphs, and the complete graph, for which the inequalities here are tight.

math.SP↗

arXiv2019

A Matrix Valued Kuramoto Model

Beginning with the work of Lohe [14,15] there have been a number of papers [3,5,8,9,11] that have generalized the Kuramoto model for phase-locking to a non-commuting situation. Here we propose and analyze another such model. We consider a collection of symmetric matrix-valued variables that evolve in such a way as to try to align their eigenvector frames. The phase-locked state is one where the eigenframes all align, and thus the matrices all commute. We analyze the stability of the phase-locked state and show that it is stable. We also analyze a dynamic analog of the twist states arising in the standard Kuramoto model, and show that these twist states are dynamically unstable.

math.DS↗

arXiv2018

Applications of a class of Herglotz operator pencils

We identify a class of operator pencils, arising in a number of applications, which have only real eigenvalues. In the one-dimensional case we prove a novel version of the Sturm oscillation theorem: if the dependence on the eigenvalue parameter is of degree $k$ then the real axis can be partitioned into a union of $k$ disjoint intervals, each of which enjoys a Sturm oscillation theorem: on each interval there is an increasing sequence of eigenvalues that are indexed by the number of roots of the associated eigenfunction. One consequence of this is that it guarantees that the spectrum of these operator pencils has finite accumulation points, implying that the operators do not have compact resolvents. As an application we apply this theory to an epidemic model and several species dispersal models arising in biology.

math.SP↗

arXiv2017

Stable Configurations in Social Networks

We present and analyze a model of opinion formation on an arbitrary network whose dynamics comes from a global energy function. We study the global and local minimizers of this energy, which we call stable opinion configurations, and describe the global minimizers under certain assumptions on the friendship graph. We show a surprising result that the number of stable configurations is not necessarily monotone in the strength of connection in the social network, i.e. the model sometimes supports more stable configurations when the interpersonal connections are made stronger.

math.DS↗

arXiv2016

The stability of fixed points for a Kuramoto model with Hebbian interactions

We consider a variation of the Kuramoto model with dynamic coupling, where the coupling strengths are allowed to evolve in response to the phase difference between the oscillators, a model first considered by Ha, Noh and Park. In particular we study the stability of fixed points for this model. We demonstrate a somewhat surprising fact: namely that the fixed points of this model, as well as their stability, can be completely expressed in terms of the fixed points and stability of the analogous classical Kuramoto problem where the coupling strengths are fixed to a constant (the same for all edges). In particular for the "all-to-all" network, where the underlying graph is the complete graph, the problem reduces to the problem of understanding the fixed points and stability of the all-to-all Kuramoto model with equal edge weights, a problem that has been completely solved.

math.DS↗

arXiv2016

Emergence of Balance from a model of Social Dynamics

We propose a model for social dynamics on a network. In this model each actor holds a position on some issue, actors and their opinions being associated to vertices of the graph, and, additionally, the actors hold opinions of one another, with these opinions being associated to edges in the graph. These quantities are allowed to evolve according to the gradient flow of a natural free energy. We show that for a small spread in opinions the model converges to a consensus state, where all actors hold the same position. For a larger spread in opinion there is a phase transition marked by the birth of a second stable state: in addition to the consensus state there is a second polarized or partisan state. This state, when it exists, is conjectured to be global energy minimizer, with the consensus state being a local energy minimizer. We derive an energy inequality which supports this. Interestingly, all of the steady states we find, with the exception of the consensus state, are either balanced (in the sense of Heider) or are completely unbalanced states where all triangles are unbalanced. The latter solutions are, not surprisingly, always unstable.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2015

Graph Homology and Stability of Coupled Oscillator Networks

There are a number of models of coupled oscillator networks where the question of the stability of fixed points reduces to calculating the index of a graph Laplacian. Some examples of such models include the Kuramoto and Kuramoto--Sakaguchi equations as well as the swing equations, which govern the behavior of generators coupled in an electrical network. We show that the index calculation can be related to a dual calculation which is done on the first homology group of the graph, rather than the vertex space. We also show that this representation is computationally attractive for relatively sparse graphs, where the dimension of the first homology group is low, as is true in many applications. We also give explicit formulae for the dimension of the unstable manifold to a phase-locked solution for graphs containing one or two loops. As an application, we present some novel results for the Kuramoto model defined on a ring and compute the longest possible edge length for a stable solution.

math.DS↗

arXiv2015

Modulational Instability in Equations of KdV Type

It is a matter of experience that nonlinear waves in dispersive media, propagating primarily in one direction, may appear periodic in small space and time scales, but their characteristics --- amplitude, phase, wave number, etc. --- slowly vary in large space and time scales. In the 1970's, Whitham developed an asymptotic (WKB) method to study the effects of small "modulations" on nonlinear periodic wave trains. Since then, there has been a great deal of work aiming at rigorously justifying the predictions from Whitham's formal theory. We discuss recent advances in the mathematical understanding of the dynamics, in particular, the instability of slowly modulated wave trains for nonlinear dispersive equations of KdV type.

math.AP↗

arXiv2013

Modulational instability and variational structure

We study the modulational instability of periodic traveling waves for a class of Hamiltonian systems in one spatial dimension. We examine how the Jordan block structure of the associated linearized operator bifurcates for small values of the Floquet exponent to derive a criterion governing instability to long wavelengths perturbations in terms of the kinetic and potential energies, the momentum, the mass of the underlying wave, and their derivatives. The dispersion operator of the equation is allowed to be nonlocal, for which Evans function techniques may not be applicable. We illustrate the results by discussing analytically and numerically equations of Korteweg-de Vries type.

math.AP↗

arXiv2013

Spectral Theory for Networks with Attractive and Repulsive Interactions

There is a wealth of applied problems that can be posed as a dynamical system defined on a network with both attractive and repulsive interactions. Some examples include: understanding synchronization properties of nonlinear oscillator;, the behavior of groups, or cliques, in social networks; the study of optimal convergence for consensus algorithm; and many other examples. Frequently the problems involve computing the index of a matrix, i.e. the number of positive and negative eigenvalues, and the dimension of the kernel. In this paper we consider one of the most common examples, where the matrix takes the form of a signed graph Laplacian. We show that the there are topological constraints on the index of the Laplacian matrix related to the dimension of a certain homology group. In certain situations, when the homology group is trivial, the index of the operator is rigid and is determined only by the topology of the network and is independent of the strengths of the interactions. In general these constraints give upper and lower bounds on the number of positive and negative eigenvalues, with the dimension of the homology group counting the number of eigenvalue crossings. The homology group also gives a natural decomposition of the dynamics into "fixed" degrees of freedom, whose index does not depend on the edge-weights, and an orthogonal set of "free" degrees of freedom, whose index changes as the edge weights change. We also present some numerical studies of this problem for large random matrices.

math.SP↗

arXiv2011

Fully Synchronous Solutions and the Synchronization Phase Transition for the Finite N Kuramoto Model

We present a detailed analysis of the stability of synchronized solutions to the Kuramoto system of oscillators. We derive an analytical expression counting the dimension of the unstable manifold associated to a given stationary solution. From this we are able to derive a number of consequences, including: analytic expressions for the first and last frequency vectors to synchronize, upper and lower bounds on the probability that a randomly chosen frequency vector will synchronize, and very sharp results on the large $N$ limit of this model. One of the surprises in this calculation is that for frequencies that are Gaussian distributed the correct scaling for full synchrony is not the one commonly studied in the literature---rather, there is a logarithmic correction to the scaling which is related to the extremal value statistics of the random frequency vector.

math.DS↗