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The description of patterns in nonequilibrium systems is a fascinating subject. It becomes somewhat untractable if one insists to keep the original equations in their complete form, as the Oberbeck–Boussinesq equations for instance in Rayleigh–Be´nard convection. Various reduction scheme have been imagined, the ultimate one being the phase picture. I examine a simple version of the phase equation, relevant for systems of travelling rolls or for distributed self-oscillations. The boundary effects limit the ability of this phase to drift freely and yields a well-defined space structure, which can be analyzed in two different limits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We consider the dynamics of a lattice of phase oscillators with a nearest-neighbor coupling. The clustering hierarchy is described for the case of linear distribution of natural frequencies. We demonstrate that for small couplings prior to the appearance of the first cluster the dynamics is quasi-Hamiltonian: the phase volume is conserved in average, and the spectrum of the Lyapunov exponents is symmetric. We explain this unexpected for a dissipative system phenomenon using the concept of reversibility. We show that for a certain coupling a smooth transition from the quasi-Hamiltonian to the dissipative dynamics occurs, which is a novel type of chaos–chaos transition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Macroscopic oscillations in the brain are involved in various cognitive and physiological processes, yet their precise function is not completely understood. Communication through coherence (CTC) theory proposes that these rhythmic electrical patterns might serve to regulate the information flow between neural populations. Thus, to communicate effectively, neural populations must synchronize their oscillatory activity, ensuring that input volleys from the presynaptic population reach the postsynaptic one at its maximum phase of excitability. We consider an Excitatory–Inhibitory (E–I) network whose macroscopic activity is described by an exact mean-field model. The E–I network receives periodic inputs from either one or two external sources, for which effective communication will not be achieved in the absence of control. We explore strategies based on optimal control theory for phase–amplitude dynamics to design a periodic control that sets the target population in the optimal phase to synchronize its activity with a specific presynaptic input signal and establish communication. The control mechanism resembles the role of a higher cortical area in the context of selective attention. To design the control, we use the phase–amplitude reduction of a limit cycle and leverage recent developments in this field in order to find the most effective control strategy regarding a defined cost function. Furthermore, we present results that guarantee the local controllability of the system close to the limit cycle. • Optimal-control strategies provide controls that suitably adjust the dynamics for enhanced communication. • Controlled synchronization is decisive for effective communication in mean-field models of E–I networks. • Using phase–amplitude description, optimal periodic controls minimally alter the oscillation, while enhance communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We study the phase dynamics of a chain of autonomous, self-sustained, dispersively coupled oscillators. In the quasicontinuum limit the basic discrete model reduces to a Korteveg–de Vries-like equation, but with a nonlinear dispersion. The system supports compactons–solitary waves with a compact support–and kovatons–compact formations of glued together kink–antikink pairs that propagate with a unique speed, but may assume an arbitrary width. We demonstrate that lattice solitary waves, though not exactly compact, have tails which decay at a superexponential rate. They are robust and collide nearly elastically and together with wave sources are the building blocks of the dynamics that emerges from typical initial conditions. In finite lattices, after a long time, the dynamics becomes chaotic. Numerical studies of the complex Ginzburg–Landau lattice show that the non-dispersive coupling causes a damping and deceleration, or growth and acceleration, of compactons. A simple perturbation method is applied to study these effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Based on the model system undergoing phase separation and chemical reactions, we investigate the dynamics of propagating dissipative waves under external forcing which is periodic both in space and time. A phase diagram for the entrained and non-entrained states under the external forcing is obtained numerically. Theoretical analysis in terms of phase description of the traveling waves is carried out to show that the transition between the entrained and the non-entrained states by changing the external frequency occurs either through a saddle–node bifurcation or through a Hopf bifurcation and that these two bifurcation lines are connected at a Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation point. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present experimental results on hydrothermal traveling waves dynamics in long and narrow 1D channels. The onset of primary traveling-wave patterns is briefly presented for different fluid heights and for annular or bounded channels, i.e., within periodic or non-periodic boundary conditions. For periodic boundary conditions, by increasing the control parameter or changing the discrete mean wavenumber of the waves, we produce modulated wave patterns. These patterns range from stable periodic phase-solutions, due to supercritical Eckhaus instability, to spatio-temporal defect-chaos involving traveling holes and/or counter-propagating waves competition, i.e., traveling sources and sinks. The transition from non-linearly saturated Eckhaus modulations to transient pattern breaks by traveling holes and spatio-temporal defects is documented. Our observations are presented in the framework of coupled complex Ginzburg–Landau equations with additional fourth and fifth order terms which account for the reflection symmetry breaking at high wave-amplitude far from onset. The second part of this paper [N. Garnier, A. Chiffaudel, F. Daviaud, Nonlinear dynamics of waves and modulated waves in 1D thermocapillary flows. II. Convective/absolute transitions, Physica D (2003), this issue] extends this study to spatially non-periodic patterns observed in both annular and bounded channel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]