Complex Dynamics in a ODE Model Related to Phase Transition

Abstract

Motivated by some recent studies on the Allen–Cahn phase transition model with a periodic nonautonomous term, we prove the existence of complex dynamics for the second order equation $$\begin{aligned} -\ddot{x} + \left( 1 + \varepsilon ^{-1} A(t)\right) G'(x) = 0, \end{aligned}$$ where A(t) is a nonnegative T-periodic function and \(\varepsilon > 0\) is sufficiently small. More precisely, we find a full symbolic dynamics made by solutions which oscillate between any two different strict local minima \(x_0\) and \(x_1\) of G(x). Such solutions stay close to \(x_0\) or \(x_1\) in some fixed intervals, according to any prescribed coin tossing sequence. For convenience in the exposition we consider (without loss of generality) the case \(x_0 =0\) and \(x_1 = 1\).