Patterns in a Smoluchowski Equation

Abstract

We analyze the dynamics of concentrated polymer solutions modeled by a 2D Smoluchowski equation. We describe the long time behavior of the polymer suspensions in a fluid. When the flow influence is neglected the equation has a gradient structure. The presence of a simple flow introduces significant structural changes in the dynamics. We study the case of an externally imposed flow with homogeneous gradient. We show that the equation is still dissipative but new phenomena appear.The dynamics depend on both the concentration intensity and the structure of the flow. In certain limit cases the equation has a gradient structure, in an appropriate reference frame, and the solutions evolve to either a steady state or a tumbling wave. For small perturbations of the gradient structure we show that for small concentrations the solutions evolve in the long time limit to a steady state. However for high concentrations there is a rigidity phenomenon for the tumbling wave.