DYNAMIC FRONT TRANSITIONS AND SPIRAL-VORTEX NUCLEATION

Christian Elphick 1, Aric Hagberg 2, and Ehud Meron 3

1 Department of Physics, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria, Valparaiso, Casilla 110-V, Chile
2 Center for Nonlinear Studies, Theortical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545
3 Department of Mathematics and ACMS, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721

Physical Review E 51(4) April 1995

    This is a study of front dynamics in reaction diffusion systems near Nonequilibrium Ising-Bloch bifurcations. We find that the relation between front velocity and perturbative factors, such as external fields and curvature, is typically multivalued. This unusual form allows small perturbations to induce dynamic transitions between counter-propagating fronts and nucleate spiral vortices. We use these findings to propose explanations for two experimental observations: Spiral breakup driven by convection, and spot splitting.

    PACS numbers: 05.45.+b,82.20.Mj


The entire document (with figures)
Aric Hagberg <aric@lanl.gov>
Last modified: Wed Dec 17 11:17:40 MST 1997