2022/06/27 by Rudnick, Joseph, Jasnow, David, Vinals, Jorge
#Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2206.13469
Spatio-temporal extensions of familiar compartment models for disease transmission incorporating diffusive behavior, or interactions between individuals at separate locations, are explored. The models considered have the character of reaction-diffusion systems, which allow familiar techniques to be applied. The focus is largely on the appearance of soliton-like moving fronts that spread infection to previously uninfected regions. Near threshold dynamical critical behavior and a degree of universality are revealed. Extending two of the models to include a simple nonlinearity in the strength of the binary interaction between a susceptible individual and an infected one, we find the possibility of static coexistence between spatial regions with different levels of infection and an analogy with first-order transitions in thermodynamics.