Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations

Date: February 14, 2023

Time: 3:00PM - 4:00PM

Location: BLOC 302

Speaker: Graham Cox, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Title: Turing instability via the generalized Maslov index

Abstract: The Maslov index is a topological invariant naturally associated to a Hamiltonian system. This is a useful tool for linear stability analysis, provided the eigenvalue equation can be rewritten in a Hamiltonian form. In this talk I will describe a recent generalization of the Maslov index to non-Hamiltonian systems. This generalization allows one to study reaction-diffusion system of activator-inhibitor type. As an application, I will show how this new index can be used to characterize the Turing instability.