Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2005 / iii / Paper 79 / 3 / Solution

The square-root reaction problem with nested boundary layers has a small positive plateau $y\sim {\epsilon }^2{k}^2$, an $O(\epsilon )$ left-end layer, and two distinct scales on the right. The broad right layer has width $O(\sqrt{\epsilon })$; its inner edge needs a thinner $O(\epsilon )$ transition to the plateau. A single right-end scale cannot describe both matches.

Here is a uniformly matched leading solution. Let $L(\xi )$ solveusing the increasing branch below $k^2$. DefineThen $\Phi (L(\xi ))=\Phi (0)-\xi$. For the right-hand branch, define $R(\xi )>k^2$ by $\Phi (R(\xi ))=\xi$; it tends to $k^2$ as $\xi \to -\infty$. These formulas follow from the first integral of a square-root reaction layer and are expanded in solution and solution.

For sufficiently small $\epsilon$, let $x_{\ast }=1-\epsilon \Phi ({\epsilon }^{-2})$. Then $R((1-x_{\ast })/\epsilon )={\epsilon }^{-2}$, so the right profile meets the prescribed order-one endpoint. The composite asymptotic expansion isThe subtraction removes the common plateau counted twice. Its boundary residuals are exponentially small: the right profile has almost reached $k^2$ at $x=0$, and the left profile has almost reached $k^2$ at $x=1$. In each active layer the opposite profile is exponentially close to its plateau, so the composite reproduces that layer's governing equation and the shared outer solution to the retained order.

The right transition location satisfies $x_{\ast }=1-2\sqrt{3\epsilon }+o(\sqrt{\epsilon })$. Outside its thin transition, the broad right layer iswhere the bracket is positive; it matches through the thin layer to ${\epsilon }^2{k}^2$, rather than continuing as a fourth power on the wrong side. The dominant balances and the end-region matches are detailed below.