New planforms in systems of partial differential equations with Euclidean symmetry

Abstract

Dionne & Golubitsky [10] consider the classification of planforms bifurcating (simultaneously) in scalar partial differential equations that are equivariant with respect to the Euclidean group in the plane. In particular, those planforms corresponding to isotropy subgroups with one-dimensional fixed-point space are classified. Many important Euclidean-equivariant systems of partial differential equations essentially reduce to a scalar partial differential equation, but this is not always true for general systems. We extend the classification of [10] obtaining precisely three planforms that can arise for general systems and do not exist for scalar partial differential equations. In particular, there is a class of one-dimensional ‘pseudoscalar’ partial differential equations for which the new planforms bifurcate in place of three of the standard planforms from scalar partial differential equations. For example, the usual rolls solutions are replaced by a nonstandard planform called anti-rolls. Scalar and pseudoscalar partial differential equations are distinguished by the representation of the Euclidean group.