Abstract
In soliton theory, the dynamics of solitary wave solutions may play a crucial role in the fields of mathematical physics, plasma physics, biology, fluid dynamics, nonlinear optics, condensed matter physics, and many others. The main concern of this present article is to obtain symmetry reductions and some new explicit exact solutions of the (2 + 1)-dimensional Sharma–Tasso–Olver (STO) equation by using the Lie symmetry analysis method. The infinitesimals for the STO equation were achieved under the invariance criteria of Lie groups. Then, the two stages of symmetry reductions of the governing equation are obtained with the help of an optimal system. Meanwhile, this Lie symmetry method will reduce the STO equation into new partial differential equations (PDEs) which contain a lesser number of independent variables. Based on numerical simulation, the dynamical characteristics of the solitary wave solutions illustrate multiple-front wave profiles, solitary wave solutions, kink wave solitons, oscillating periodic solitons, and annihilation of parabolic wave structures via 3D plots.