Reaction-diffusion fronts in funnel-shaped domains

Abstract

We consider bistable reaction-diffusion equations in funnel-shaped domains of R N made up of straight parts and conical parts with positive opening angles. We study the large time dynamics of entire solutions emanating from a planar front in the straight part of such a domain and moving into the conical part. We show a dichotomy between blocking and spreading, by proving especially some new Liouville type results on stable solutions of semilinear elliptic equations in the whole space R N . We also show that any spreading solution is a transition front having a global mean speed, which is the unique speed of planar fronts, and that it converges at large time in the conical part of the domain to a well-formed front whose position is approximated by expanding spheres. Moreover, we provide sufficient conditions on the size R of the straight part of the domain and on the opening angle α of the conical part, under which the solution emanating from a planar front is blocked or spreads completely in the conical part. We finally show the openness of the set of parameters (R, α) for which the propagation is complete.