Stability of pole solutions for planar propagating flames: II. Properties of eigenvalues/eigenfunctions and implications to stability

Abstract

In a previous paper (Part I) we focused our attention on pole solutions that arise in the context of flame propagation. The nonlinear development that follows after a planar flame front becomes unstable is described by a single nonlinear PDE which admits pole solutions as equilibrium states. Specifically, we were concerned with coalescent steady states, which correspond to steadily propagating single-peak structures extended periodically over the infinite domain. This pattern is one that is commonly observed in experiments. In order to examine the linear stability of these equilibrium solutions, we formulated in Part I the corresponding eigenvalue problem and derived exact analytical expressions for the spectrum and the corresponding eigenfunctions. In this paper, we examine their properties as they relate to the stability issue. Being based on analytical expressions, our results resolve earlier controversies that resulted from numerical investigations of the stability problem. We show that, for any period 2L, there always exists one and only one stable steady coalescent pole solution. We also examine the dependence of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions on L which provides insight into the behavior of the nonlinear PDE and, consequently, on the nonlinear dynamics of the flame front.