The evolution of travelling waves in reaction-diffusion equations with monotone decreasing diffusivity. II. Abruptly vanishing diffusivity

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Abstract
In this paper we continue our study of some of the qualitative features of chemical polymerization processes by considering a reaction-diffusion equation for the chemical concentration in which the diffusivity vanishes abruptly at a finite concentration. The effect of this diffusivity cut-off is to create two distinct process zones; in one there is both reaction and diffusion and in the other there is only reaction. These zones are separated by an interface across which there is a jump in concentration gradient. Our analysis is focused on both the initial development of this interface and the large time evolution of the system into a travelling wave form. Some distinct differences from our previous analysis of smoothly vanishing diffusivity are found.