Doppler effect of nonlinear waves and superspirals in oscillatory media

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • L Brusch - , Max-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (Author)
  • A Torcini - , Istituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata (Author)
  • M Bar - , Max-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (Author)

Abstract

Nonlinear waves emitted from a moving source are studied. A meandering spiral in a reaction-diffusion medium provides an example in which waves originate from a source exhibiting a back-and-forth movement in a radial direction. The periodic motion of the source induces a Doppler effect that causes a modulation in wavelength and amplitude of the waves ("superspiral"). Using direct simulations as well as numerical nonlinear analysis within the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, we show that waves subject to a convective Eckhaus instability can exhibit monotonic growth or decay as well as saturation of these modulations depending on the perturbation frequency. Our findings elucidate recent experimental observations concerning superspirals and their decay to spatiotemporal chaos.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number108302
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume91
Issue number10
Publication statusPublished - 5 Sept 2003
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

Scopus 0142089114
ORCID /0000-0003-0137-5106/work/142244234

Keywords

Keywords

  • MODULATED AMPLITUDE WAVES, GINZBURG-LANDAU EQUATION, ROTATING SPIRAL WAVES, CONVECTIVE INSTABILITY, ECKHAUS INSTABILITY, EXCITABLE MEDIA, DYNAMICS, TRANSITION, MODEL, BREAKUP