title: Front propagation in a bistable system: how the energy is released.
abstract: In this Rapid Communication we consider a front of transition between metastable and stable states in a conservative system. Due to the difference of energies between initial and finite states, such transition front can propagate only while radiating energy. A simulation of such a process in a one-dimensional nonlinear lattice shows an essential imbalance between the energy released in each act of transition, and the density of energy of oscillations behind the front. It means that the stationary front propagation must be accompanied by an essentially nonstationary radiative process. We reveal the origin of this phenomenon and show that the characteristics of the front propagation critically depend on boundary conditions. In the framework of a simple model of a bistable system we propose analytic evaluation of all important features of the transition process, such as front velocity, radiation frequency, and oscillation amplitude. All calculated values are in good agreement with numerical simulation data.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, 4 Kosygin str., 119991 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Smirnov
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: O V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Gendelman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, 4 Kosygin str., 119991 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Manevitch