Lag-driven motion in front propagation

Daniel R. Amor and Joaquim Fort

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2013, vol. 392, issue 20, 4946-4955

Abstract: Front propagation is a ubiquitous phenomenon. It arises in physical, biological and cross-disciplinary systems as diverse as flame propagation, superconductors, virus infections, cancer spread or transitions in human prehistory. Here we derive a single, approximate front speed from three rather different time-delayed reaction–diffusion models, suggesting a general law. According to our approximate speed, fronts are crucially driven by the lag times (periods during which individuals or particles do not move). Rather surprisingly, the approximate speed is able to explain the observed spread rates of completely different biophysical systems such as virus infections, the Neolithic transition in Europe, and postglacial tree recolonizations.

Keywords: Front propagation; Reaction–diffusion equations; Molecular dynamics simulations; Biological invasions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:392:y:2013:i:20:p:4946-4955

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2013.06.058

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