TITLE: Structure of sign changes under the heat flow
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: Let $f$ be a smooth function on $R^2$, and define $N_f$ to be the set of points $p$ such that the nodal set of $f$ ($\{x\in R^2: f(x)=0\}$) divided every neighborhood of $p$ into four regions. Indeed, the nodal set of $f$ looks like $"\times"$ around $p$ and $f$ changes sign four times on every small enough circle centered at $p$.
Let $u(t,x)\in C^{\infty}(R\times R^2)$ be a solution of the heat equation $u_t=\Delta u$ with $u(0,x)=u_0(x)$, and assume that $N_{u_0}=\emptyset$. I wonder if the heat flow can stably generate such points in time, i.e. can $ \cup_{t>0} N_{u(t,x)}$ contain an unbounded continuous curve $C$ in $R^3$ such that $C \cap N_{u(t,x)} \neq \emptyset$ for all $t>t_1$ for some $0<t_1\in R$.

REPLY [3 votes]: Yes, this is possible (at least if you require only that $u$ be defined
for $t>0$, which is the usual context for the heat equation,
not for all $t \in {\bf R}$ as implied by 
"$u(t,x) \in C^\infty({\bf R} \times {\bf R}^2)$"):

(source: harvard.edu) 
Here $u(t,x)$ is antisymmetric about the vertical axis $x_2=0$;
thus the zero-set $V_{u(t,\cdot)} = \{x: u(t,x) = 0\}$
is always symmetric about that axis and contains it.
The curved contours of that Sage plot,
in black, red, orange, green, blue, purple, and gray,
show the other component(s) of $V_{u,(t,\cdot)}$ for
$t = t_1/8$, $t_1/4$, $t_1/2$, $t_1$, $2t_1$, $4t_1$, $8t_1$.
The zero set $V_{u,(t,\cdot)}$
contains a $\ast$-shaped triple point for $t=t_1$,
and two $+\,$-shaped double points for all $t > t_1$,
at height proportional to $\pm \sqrt{t-t_1}$.
To obtain this function, start from the usual heat kernel
$g(t,x) = (4\pi t)^{-1} \exp (-|x|^2/4t)$,
and set $u(t,x) = \Delta_x(g(t,x-e_1)-g(t,x+e_1))$
where $e_1$ is the unit vector $(1,0)$.
(To check that $u$ is a solution of the heat equation $u_t = \Delta_x u$,
note that $g$ satisfies the heat equation and that the differential operators
$\partial / \partial t$ and $\Delta_x$ commute with $\Delta_x$
and with translations by $\pm e_1$.)
The nodal set of each term $\Delta_x(g(t,x\mp e_1))$ of $u$
is the circle of radius $2t^{1/2}$ about $\pm e_1$.
For small $t$, the nodal set $V_{u(t,\cdot)}$ of the difference
consists of the vertical axis and very close approximations
to those circles.  As $t$ increases, the circles grow and distort,
eventually meeting to form a figure-eight at $t=t_1$ and a single
closed curve for all $t > t_1$.  The two double points for $t>t_1$
can be located as the zeros on the vertical axis $x_2=0$
of the partial derivative of $u(t,x)$ with respect to $x_1$.