arXiv subjects

Theodore Kolokolnikov

Publications and source records attributed to Theodore Kolokolnikov.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Drunken robber, tipsy cop: First passage times, mobile traps, and Hopf bifurcations

For a random walk on a confined one-dimensional domain, we consider mean first passage times (MFPT) in the presence of a mobile trap. The question we address is whether a mobile trap can improve capture times over a stationary trap. We consider two scenarios: a randomly moving trap and an oscillating trap. In both cases, we find that a stationary trap actually performs better (in terms of reducing expected capture time) than a very slowly moving trap; however, a trap moving sufficiently fast performs better than a stationary trap. We explicitly compute the thresholds that separate the two regimes. In addition, we find a surprising relation between the oscillating trap problem and a moving-sink problem that describes reduced dynamics of a single spike in a certain regime of the Gray-Scott model. Namely, the above-mentioned threshold corresponds precisely to a Hopf bifurcation that induces oscillatory motion in the location of the spike. We use this correspondence to prove the uniqueness of the Hopf bifurcation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2014

A minimal model of predator-swarm interactions

We propose a minimal model of predator-swarm interactions which captures many of the essential dynamics observed in nature. Different outcomes are observed depending on the predator strength. For a "weak" predator, the swarm is able to escape the predator completely. As the strength is increased, the predator is able to catch up with the swarm as a whole, but the individual prey are able to escape by "confusing" the predator: the prey forms a ring with the predator at the center. For higher predator strength, complex chasing dynamics are observed which can become chaotic. For even higher strength, the predator is able to successfully capture the prey. Our model is simple enough to be amenable to a full mathematical analysis which is used to predict the shape of the swarm as well as the resulting predator-prey dynamics as a function of model parameters. We show that as the predator strength is increased, there is a transition (due to a Hopf bifurcation) from confusion state to chasing dynamics, and we compute the threshold analytically. Our analysis indicates that the swarming behaviour is not helpful in avoiding the predator, suggesting that there are other reasons why the species may swarm. The complex shape of the swarm in our model during the chasing dynamics is similar to the shape of a flock of sheep avoiding a shepherd.

nlin.AO↗

arXiv2014

Collective behaviour of large number of vortices in the plane

We investigate the dynamics of $N$ point vortices in the plane, in the limit of large $N$. We consider {\em relative equilibria}, which are rigidly rotating lattice-like configurations of vortices. These configurations were observed in several recent experiments [Durkin and Fajans, Phys. Fluids (2000) 12, 289-293; Grzybowski {\em et.al} PRE (2001)64, 011603]. We show that these solutions and their stability are fully characterized via a related {\em aggregation model} which was recently investigated in the context of biological swarms [Fetecau {\em et.al.}, Nonlinearity (2011) 2681; Bertozzi {\em et.al.}, M3AS (2011)]. By utilizing this connection, we give explicit analytic formulae for many of the configurations that have been observed experimentally. These include configurations of vortices of equal strength; the $N+1$ configurations of $N$ vortices of equal strength and one vortex of much higher strength; and more generally, $N+K$ configurations. We also give examples of configurations that have not been studied experimentally, including $N+2$ configurations where $N$ vortices aggregate inside an ellipse. Finally, we introduce an artificial ``damping'' to the vortex dynamics, in an attempt to explain the phenomenon of crystalization that is often observed in real experiments. The diffusion breaks the conservative structure of vortex dynamics so that any initial conditions converge to the lattice-like relative equilibrium.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Slowly varying control parameters, delayed bifurcations and the stability of spikes in reaction-diffusion systems

We present three examples of delayed bifurcations for spike solutions of reaction-diffusion systems. The delay effect results as the system passes slowly from a stable to an unstable regime, and was previously analysed in the context of ODE's in [P.Mandel, T.Erneux, J.Stat.Phys, 1987]. It was found that the instability would not be fully realized until the system had entered well into the unstable regime. The bifurcation is said to have been "delayed" relative to the threshold value computed directly from a linear stability analysis. In contrast, we analyze the delay effect in systems of PDE's. In particular, for spike solutions of singularly perturbed generalized Gierer-Meinhardt (GM) and Gray-Scott (GS) models, we analyze three examples of delay resulting from slow passage into regimes of oscillatory and competition instability. In the first example, for the GM model on the infinite real line, we analyze the delay resulting from slowly tuning a control parameter through a Hopf bifurcation. In the second example, we consider a Hopf bifurcation on a finite one-dimensional domain. In this scenario, as opposed to the extrinsic tuning of a system parameter through a bifurcation value, we analyze the delay of a bifurcation triggered by slow intrinsic dynamics of the PDE system. In the third example, we consider competition instabilities of the GS model triggered by the extrinsic tuning of a feed rate parameter. In all cases, we find that the system must pass well into the unstable regime before the onset of instability is fully observed, indicating delay. We also find that delay has an important effect on the eventual dynamics of the system in the unstable regime. We give analytic predictions for the magnitude of the delays as obtained through analysis of certain explicitly solvable nonlocal eigenvalue problems. The theory is confirmed by numerical solutions of the full PDE systems.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2012

The Stability of Steady-State Hot-Spot Patterns for a Reaction-Diffusion Model of Urban Crime

The existence and stability of localized patterns of criminal activity are studied for the reaction-diffusion model of urban crime that was introduced by Short et. al. [Math. Models. Meth. Appl. Sci., 18, Suppl. (2008), pp. 1249--1267]. Such patterns, characterized by the concentration of criminal activity in localized spatial regions, are referred to as hot-spot patterns and they occur in a parameter regime far from the Turing point associated with the bifurcation of spatially uniform solutions. Singular perturbation techniques are used to construct steady-state hot-spot patterns in one and two-dimensional spatial domains, and new types of nonlocal eigenvalue problems are derived that determine the stability of these hot-spot patterns to ${\mathcal O}(1)$ time-scale instabilities. From an analysis of these nonlocal eigenvalue problems, a critical threshold $K_c$ is determined such that a pattern consisting of $K$ hot-spots is unstable to a competition instability if $K>K_c$. This instability, due to a positive real eigenvalue, triggers the collapse of some of the hot-spots in the pattern. Furthermore, in contrast to the well-known stability results for spike patterns of the Gierer-Meinhardt reaction-diffusion model, it is shown for the crime model that there is only a relatively narrow parameter range where oscillatory instabilities in the hot-spot amplitudes occur. Such an instability, due to a Hopf bifurcation, is studied explicitly for a single hot-spot in the shadow system limit, for which the diffusivity of criminals is asymptotically large. Finally, the parameter regime where localized hot-spots occur is compared with the parameter regime, studied in previous works, where Turing instabilities from a spatially uniform steady-state occur.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2007

Spot deformation and replication in the two-dimensional Belousov-Zhabotinski reaction in water-in-oil microemulsion

In the limit of large diffusivity ratio, spot-like solutions in the two-dimensional Belousov-Zhabotinski reaction in water-in-oil microemulsion are studied. It is shown analytically that such spots undergo an instability as the diffusivity ratio is decreased. An instability threshold is derived. For spots of small radius, it is shown that this instability leads to a spot splitting into precisely two spots. For larger spots, it leads to deformation, fingering patterns and space-filling curves. Numerical simulations are shown to be in close agreement with the analytical predictions.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2005

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.

nlin.PS↗