Spreading of energy in the Ding-Dong model

Abstract

We study properties of energy spreading in a lattice of elastically colliding harmonic oscillators (Ding-Dong model). We demonstrate that in the regular lattice the spreading from a localized initial state is mediated by compactons and chaotic breathers. In a disordered lattice the compactons do not exist, and the spreading eventually stops, resulting in a finite configuration with a few chaotic spots.