1. Geometrical factors in propagation block and spiral wave initiation
- Author
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Eberhard Bodenschatz, Vladimir S. Zykov, and Alexei Krekhov
- Subjects
Physics ,Coupling strength ,business.industry ,Wave propagation ,Applied Mathematics ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Statistical and Nonlinear Physics ,Mechanics ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Critical value ,01 natural sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Optics ,Spiral wave ,0103 physical sciences ,010306 general physics ,business ,Mathematical Physics ,Spiral ,Block (data storage) - Abstract
Many theoretical and experimental studies indicate that a propagation block represents an important factor in spiral wave initiation in excitable media. The analytical and numerical results we obtained for a generic two-component reaction-diffusion system demonstrate quantitative conditions for the propagation block in a one-dimensional and a two-dimensional medium due to a sharp spatial increase of the medium's excitability or the coupling strength above a certain critical value. Here, we prove that this critical value strongly depends on the medium parameters and the geometry of the inhomogeneity. For an exemplary two-dimensional medium, we show how the propagation block can be used to initiate spiral waves by a specific choice of the size and shape of the medium's inhomogeneity.
- Published
- 2017