 Phase-plane construction of a Fisher travelling front

For $u_t=u_{xx}+u(k-u)$ with $k>0$, a decreasing travelling wave connecting $k$ to $0$ satisfies $w^{\prime }=p$, $p^{\prime }=-cp-w(k-w)$. If $c\ge 2\sqrt{k}$, choose $a>0$ with $a(c-a)\ge k$. The triangle $0\le w\le k$, $-aw\le p\le 0$ is forward invariant: on its sloping side, $(p+aw{)}^{\prime }=w[a(c-a)-k+w]\ge 0$. The descending unstable manifold of the saddle equilibrium $(k,0)$ stays in this triangle and tends to $(0,0)$, producing a positive heteroclinic orbit. Below the threshold the origin is a stable spiral for positive $c$, forcing sign changes; at $c=0$ conserved energy also excludes the connection.