Constructing Solutions to Two-Way Diffusion Problems

TL;DR

This paper develops a practical method for solving two-way diffusion boundary value problems in linear transport theory, using projection operators to derive a formal sum solution, validated on physical problems including active matter.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach employing projection operators to compute solutions to two-way diffusion problems, addressing practical calculation challenges.

Findings

Derived a formal sum solution using projection operators

Validated the method on various physical problems

Applied the approach to a periodic active matter problem

Abstract

A variety of boundary value problems in linear transport theory are expressed as a diffusion equation of the two-way, or forward-backward, type. In such problems boundary data are specified only on part of the boundary, which introduces several technical challenges. Existence and uniqueness theorems have been established in the literature under various assumptions; however, calculating solutions in practice has proven difficult. Here we present one possible means of practical calculation. By formulating the problem in terms of projection operators, we derive a formal sum for the solution whose terms are readily calculated. We demonstrate the validity of this approach for a variety of physical problems, with focus on a periodic problem from the field of active matter.