Dynamics and Control of Spiral and Scroll Waves

Excitable systems can sustain different kinds of wave forms like target patterns, two-dimensional spiral waves or their three-dimensional counterparts, the scroll waves. The dynamics of these excitation patterns and their responses to different kinds of internal and external perturbations are being looked into. These waves interact with neighboring vortices, that could lead to either attraction or repulsion and sometimes even their merging. Thermal gradients and electric fields can be used to control the motion of spiral and scroll waves. Scroll waves anchor to unexcitable heterogeneities and external field gradients can be used to unpin them from such obstacles. Our experiments with the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction are explained on the basis of numerical simulations using the Barkley model.