Front propagation in both directions and coexistence of traveling fronts and pulses

Abstract

For scalar reaction-diffusion equations, a traveling wave is a front which transforms a higher energy state to a lower energy state. The same is true for a system of equations with a gradient structure. At the core of this phenomenon, the wave propagation results in an invasion of an equilibrium state from a different one. This paper is aimed at two questions: (i) Can reaction-diffusion waves exhibit front propagation in both directions between two distinct equilibrium states? (ii) The co-existence of traveling fronts and pulses; a subject rarely studied. Working on a FitzHugh-Nagumo model with the same physical parameters, we give positive answers to both questions.