Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 1607.03031

Filament tension and phase-locked drift of meandering scroll waves

Abstract

Rotating scroll waves are self-organising patterns which are found in many oscillating or excitable systems. Here we show that quasi-periodic (meandering) scroll waves, which include the rotors that organise cardiac arrhythmias, exhibit filament tension when averaged over the meander cycle. With strong filament curvature or medium thickness gradients, however, scroll wave dynamics are governed by phase-locked drift instead of filament tension. Our results are validated in computational models of cycloidal meander and a cardiac tissue model with linear core.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Hans Dierckx, Irina V. Biktasheva, Henri Verschelde, Alexander V. Panfilov, Vadim N. Biktashev. 2017-11-30. Filament tension and phase-locked drift of meandering scroll waves. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.119.258101

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Multiprecision computation of bright and dark solitons in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation

We study the spectral stability of bright and dark solitons in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (DNLS) equation using multiprecision arithmetic. The eigenvalues governing stability are exponentially small in the lattice spacing and cannot be resolved with standard double precision. To address this, we develop a computational framework combining multiprecision arithmetic, an exact Jacobian for the stationary problem, and a squared-operator formulation for spectral analysis. This enables accurate resolution of exponentially small eigenvalues and direct comparison with exponential-asymptotic predictions. Our results show that onsite bright solitons are spectrally stable, whereas intersite bright solitons and both onsite and intersite dark solitons are unstable. Bright solitons require only a few eigenvalues and allow efficient large-scale computations, while dark solitons demand higher precision due to their proximity to the continuous spectrum. Simulations up to \(N=65{,}250\) grid points (31.7 GB RAM) highlight the necessity of multiprecision arithmetic for capturing beyond-all-orders spectral effects.

nlin.PS

Routes to chaos in a mass-conserving two-species reaction-diffusion model

Mass-conserving reaction-diffusion systems with two species correspond to a seemingly simple case where pattern formation occurs under the influence of a conservation law. Here, we first revisit their linear stability behavior and point out that generically two instabilities can occur: a stationary large-scale mass-conserving (Cahn-Hilliard) instability and an instability that combines features of a stationary large-scale non-mass-conserving (Allen-Cahn) instability and a oscillatory large-scale mass-conserving (conserved-Hopf) instability. We term it an Allen-Cahn-Hopf instability. Second, we investigate the nonlinear dynamics for a specific model related to the formation of cell polarization where only a Cahn-Hilliard instability can occur, i.e., all primary bifurcations are stationary. We analyze how secondary and further bifurcations subsequently give rise to various oscillatory states. The emerging rich spectrum of spatiotemporal behavior includes several period-doubling cascades related to different forms of spatial and temporal symmetry breaking. Beside regular states, three types of low-dimensional spatiotemporal chaos occur and involve transitions like fusion and an outer crises. Our results demonstrate the importance of nonlinear interactions in the dynamics of mass-conserving reaction-diffusion systems, and show that even a simple two-species system with primary bifurcations of Cahn-Hilliard type can show complex spatiotemporal behavior.

nlin.PS