Multiple Front Propagation Into Unstable States

Preprint

13 December 1993

preprint
Published by arXiv in arXiv

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.cond-mat/9312050

Abstract

The dynamics of transient patterns formed by front propagation in extended nonequilibrium systems is considered. Under certain circumstances, the state left behind a front propagating into an unstable homogeneous state can be an unstable periodic pattern. It is found by a numerical solution of a model of the Fr\'eedericksz transition in nematic liquid crystals that the mechanism of decay of such periodic unstable states is the propagation of a second front which replaces the unstable pattern by a another unstable periodic state with larger wavelength. The speed of this second front and the periodicity of the new state are analytically calculated with a generalization of the marginal stability formalism suited to the study of front propagation into periodic unstable states. PACS: 47.20.Ky, 03.40.Kf, 47.54.+r

Keywords

All Related Versions

Version 1, 1993-12-13, ArXiv
Published version: Physical Review E, 50 (1), 377.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: