Microscopic models of traveling wave equations

Reaction-diffusion problems are often described at a macroscopic scale by partial derivative equations of the type of the Fisher or Kolmogorov-Petrovsky-Piscounov equation. These equations have a continuous family of front solutions, each of them corresponding to a different velocity of the front. By simulating systems of size up to N = 10(16) particles at the microscopic scale, where particles react and diffuse according to some stochastic rules, we show that a single velocity is selected for the front. This velocity converges logarithmically to the solution of the F-KPP equation with minimal velocity when the number N of particles increases. A simple calculation of the effect introduced by the cutoff due to the microscopic scale allows one to understand the origin of the logarithmic correction. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.