Lateral front instability in an open reaction–diffusion system

Abstract

The stability of planar fronts separating two homogeneous steady states has been studied numerically in an open reaction–diffusion system containing cubic autocatalysis. Two types of cellular fronts develop from random perturbation of the planar symmetry. At low exchange coefficient the dominating diffusion of the reactant destabilizes the planar front, as observed in closed systems. At high exchange coefficients, on approaching a Turing bifurcation on the thermal branch, the cellular structure developed is characterized by spatial oscillations both transverse and parallel to the front propagation.