Reaction-diffusion spectral decay threshold ($\kappa <{\pi }^2,{\kappa }_h=4h^{-2}{\sin }^2(\pi h/2)$)

On the unit interval with zero Dirichlet boundary conditions, $u_t=u_{xx}+\kappa u$ has sine-mode growth rates $\kappa -j^2{\pi }^2$. Every finite-energy initial condition decays exactly when the largest rate is negative, namely $\kappa <{\pi }^2$. A centered finite difference grid with $h=1/(M+1)$ has eigenvectors $\sin (j\pi m/(M+1))$ and growth rates $\kappa -4h^{-2}{\sin }^2(j\pi /(2(M+1)))$. Its all-data decay threshold is the displayed ${\kappa }_h$, strictly less than ${\pi }^2$ and approaching it from below. Equality leaves a stationary lowest mode; exceeding the threshold allows growth.

For $n_t=D\Delta n+\gamma n$ in a sphere of radius $a$, with zero surface density and regularity at the origin, the lowest spherically symmetric normal mode is $n(r,t)=n_c\sin (\pi r/a)/(\pi r/a)\exp [(\gamma -{\pi }^{2}D/a^2)t]$. Substitution of $R=f/r$ in the radial Laplacian gives $f^{\prime \prime }+k^{2}f=0$, and regularity removes the cosine solution. The Dirichlet boundary condition gives $k=m\pi /a$; a radial mode with no interior zeros requires $m=1$. Thus diffusion leakage suppresses growth below the displayed threshold, while the mode is stationary at equality. The expression at $r=0$ uses its continuous limit. In a linear neutron multiplication model this is the competition between bulk production and surface loss.