Effective rough boundary parametrization for reaction-diffusion systems

Abstract

We address the problem of parametrizing the boundary data for reaction- diffusion partial differential equations associated to distributed systems that possess rough boundaries. The boundaries are modeled as fast oscillating periodic structures and are endowed with Neumann or Dirichlet boundary conditions. Using techniques from homogenization theory and multiple-scale analysis we derive the effective equation and boundary conditions that are satisfied by the homogenized solution. We present numerical simulations that validate our theoretical results and compare it with the alternative approach based on solving the same equation with a smoothed version of the boundary. The numerical tests show the accuracy of the homogenized solution to the effective system vis a vis the numerical solution of the original differential equation. The homogenized solution is shown undergoing dynamical regime shifts, such as anticipation of pattern formation, obtained by varying the diffusion coefficient.