Logarithmic scaling of the collapse in the critical Keller–Segel equation

Abstract

A reduced Keller–Segel equation (RKSE) is a parabolic–elliptic system of partial differential equations which describes bacterial aggregation and the collapse of a self-gravitating gas of Brownian particles. We consider RKSE in two dimensions, where solution has a critical collapse (blow-up) if the total number of bacteria exceeds a critical value. We study the self-similar solutions of RKSE near the blow-up point. Near the collapse time, t = tc, the critical collapse is characterized by the L ∝ (tc − t)1/2 scaling law with logarithmic modification, where L is the spatial width of the collapsing solution. We develop an asymptotic perturbation theory for these modifications and show that the resulting scaling agrees well with numerical simulations. The quantitative comparison of the theory and simulations requires several terms of the perturbation series to be taken into account.