In this work we investigate the effect of density-dependent nonlinear diffusion on pattern formation in the Brusselator system. Through linear stability analysis of the basic solution we determine the Turing and the oscillatory instability boundaries. A comparison with the classical linear diffusion shows how nonlinear diffusion favors the occurrence of Turing pattern formation. We study the process of pattern formation both in one-dimensional and two-dimensional spatial domains. Through a weakly nonlinear multiple scales analysis we derive the equations for the amplitude of the stationary patterns. The analysis of the amplitude equations shows the occurrence of a number of different phenomena, including stable supercritical and subcritical Turing patterns with multiple branches of stable solutions leading to hysteresis. Moreover, we consider traveling patterning waves: When the domain size is large, the pattern forms sequentially and traveling wave fronts are the precursors to patterning. We derive the Ginzburg-Landau equation and describe the traveling front enveloping a pattern which invades the domain. We show the emergence of radially symmetric target patterns, and, through a matching procedure, we construct the outer amplitude equation and the inner core solution.

• Received 25 June 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.042925