Excitable media in a chaotic flow

The response to a localized perturbation of an excitable medium under stirring by chaotic advection is investigated. It is found that below a critical stirring rate a localized perturbation produces a coherent global excitation of the system. For very slow stirring, however, the coherence of the global excitation is gradually lost. We propose a simple model to describe the effect of the flow on the excitable dynamics, and explain the observed behavior as a consequence of a steady excited filament state found in the reduced problem.     

Shear-flow suppression of hotspot growth

We consider the role of fluid shear in maintaining anomalous “hotspot” solutions reported for a chaotically stirred bistable chemical reaction model [S.M. Cox, Persistent localized states for a chaotically mixed bistable reaction, Phys. Rev. E 74 (2006) 056206]. In the well-mixed regime, the chemical concentration is governed by a single autonomous ordinary differential equation with two stable equilibria. Whether the reaction goes to extinction or to an excited state depends on whether the initial concentration lies below or above some unstable threshold. By contrast, when the concentration varies spatially, and the chemical is stirred, the interplay between advection, diffusion and reaction is much more complicated, and the fate of the reaction depends sensitively on the initial conditions. It has previously been shown that, if the stirring is temporally periodic, a localised hotspot may form, and so the system never becomes fully extinct, nor fully excited. In this work, we first demonstrate that hotspots are in some sense generic, in that they are easily found by trial and error, by choosing reaction parameter values between those giving rise to global extinct and excited states. We also show that hotspots may be associated with hyperbolic, elliptic or even parabolic orbits associated with the underlying stirring. We observe that fluid shear is an important mechanism in localising a hotspot, and derive a reduced ordinary differential equation model which can predict the fate of a chemical stripe in a shear flow accurately.     

Multiple ionization in fast ion-atom collisions: simultaneous measurement of recoil momentum and projectile energy loss

The stability of nonlinear laser light filaments in a homogeneous isothermal plasma with respect to coupled electromagnetic and density perturbations is examined. In addition to the previously known modulational instability of a trapped electromagnetic mode, a new fast growing resonant instability is found. It corresponds to the growth of an excited eigenmode in the waveguide formed by the filament density depletion, the associated density response being supersonic and transversally localized. The evolution of the instability is illustrated by numerical simulations in two and three spatial dimensions.     

Chiral symmetry breaking during crystallization: an advection-mediated nonlinear autocatalytic process

When a chiral chemical compound crystallizes from solution or from its melt, stirring often results in the formation of crystals of just one of the two possible enantiomers, while without fluid advection both enantiomers are formed. We demonstrate with simulations of the dynamics of the system that secondary nucleation is a nonlinear autocatalytic phenomenon that can explain these observations. Furthermore, we present theoretical arguments and experimental results that suggest that at the microscale the mechanism of secondary nucleation is whisker crystal growth and dispersion in the fluid flow.     

Nonlinear behavior of localized space-charge waves in space-charge dominated electron beams

We present experimental observations of the abnormal growth of localized nonlinear space-charge waves in space-charge dominated electron beams passing through a resistive channel. The energy width of the space-charge waves is measured on both ends of the channel. Previous experiments had shown that, for small initial perturbations, the energy width of the slow waves increases, while the energy width of the fast waves decreases, in agreement with linear theory. We report that in the nonlinear regime (large initial perturbations), the energy width of the fast wave increases, which is unexpected, and, to the best of our knowledge, no theory exists that would predict this phenomenon.     

Radiative temperature dissipation in a finite atmosphere—I. The homogeneous case

We have developed a new approach toward solving problems of linear radiative relaxation of LTE temperature perturbations in a plane-parallel atmosphere of finite extent. We show that the mathematical problem is one of solving an integral eigenvalue equation, for which non-trivial solutions exist only for discrete values of the radiative relaxation time. The solutions for the spatial part of the perturbation constitute a complete and orthogonal set of basis functions, making it possible to solve more general problems of temperature relaxation. In applying this method to radiative relaxation in the middle atmosphere of earth, we show how the additional influences of photochemical coupling, advection by winds, and eddy diffusion by small-scale turbulence may be easily included using matrix perturbation techniques. We have solved the homogeneous integral equation for a wide variety of vertical thicknesses in an idealized homogeneous slab medium. Adopting a number of different analytic line profiles (rectangular, Doupler, Voigt, and Lorentz) we have obtained numerical solutions using an exponential-kernel method for solving the integral equation. The discrete eigenvalue “spectrum” is presented for vertical optical depths (0–10³) at line-center, and is used in solving several initial-value problems for a decaying temperature perturbation. We find that the eigenvalue spectrum is bounded from above by the lowest-order eigenvalue, and bounded from below by the familiar transparent approximation. The dependence of the lowest even eigenvalue on optical depth and the relative separation of the higher eigenvalues are found to depend sensitively on the line profile.     

Some properties of the a+b → C reaction-diffusion system with initially separated components

We study some properties of the A+BC reaction-diffusion system with initially separated components, first analyzed by means of an asymptotic scaling argument by Gàlfi and Ràcz. We show that, in contrast to the asymptotic result that predicts that the rate of production of C goes liket ^–1, at early times it is shown to increase ast ^1/2. Deviations from this behavior appear at times inversely proportional to the reaction constant. Analogous crossover properties appear in the kinetic behavior of the reaction front. A second part of the study is concerned with the same chemical reaction on a fractal surface. When the substrate is a percolation cluster at criticality, both the maximum production rate and the width of the reaction zone differ considerably from those for the homogeneous space.     

Propagation and ignition of fast gasless detonation waves of phase or chemical transformation in condensed matter

Fast self sustained waves of chemical or phase transformations, observed in several contexts in condensed matter effectively result in “gasless detonation". The phenomenon is modelled by coupling the reaction diffusion equation, describing chemical or phase transformations, and the wave equation, describing elastic perturbations. The coupling considered in this work involves (i) a dependence of the sound velocity on the chemical (phase) field, and (ii) the destruction of the initial chemical equilibrium when the strain exceeds a critical value (strain induced phase transition). Both the case of an initially unstable state (first order kinetics) and metastable state (second order kinetics) are considered. An exhaustive analytic and numerical study of travelling waves reveals the existence of supersonic modes of transformations. The practically important problem of ignition of fast waves by mechanical perturbation is investigated. With the present model, the critical strain necessary to ignite gasless detonation by local perturbations is determined. Received 18 November 1999     

Noise-sustained coherent oscillation of excitable media in a chaotic flow

Constructive effects of noise in spatially extended systems have been well studied in static reaction-diffusion media. We study a noisy two-dimensional Fitz Hugh-Nagumo excitable model under the stirring of a chaotic flow. We find a regime where a noisy excitation can induce a coherent global excitation of the medium and a noise-sustained oscillation. Outside this regime, noisy excitation is either diluted into homogeneous background by strong stirring or develops into noncoherent patterns at weak stirring. These results explain some experimental findings of stirring effects in chemical reactions and are relevant for understanding the effects of natural variability in oceanic plankton bloom.     

主客体式光折变聚合物中空间明孤子的动态演化特性

研究了主客体式光折变聚合物中空间明孤子的动态演化特性,讨论了振幅微扰和宽度微扰对其传播特性的影响.结果表明,入射波为明孤子波时,能够在聚合物中稳定直线传播 在较小微扰情况下,孤子波经短距离传播后能够演化为明孤子波 当微扰比较大时,光波不能在聚合物中稳定传播,而是呈现周期性震荡现象 关键词： 光折变效应 光折变聚合物 空间孤子     

Metastability at the displacement of a fluid in a Hele-Shaw cell

The displacement of silicon oil by air (with a constant flow rate) in a radial Hele-Shaw cell has been studied experimentally. The initially circular air-oil interface is perturbed controllably by a harmonic law. The sub-sequent evolution of such perturbations has been examined. It has been shown that there are three characteristic regions in the displacement process: stable, metastable (where perturbation can either disappear or grow), and unstable. It has been found that the width of the metastable region increases with the amplitude of perturbation. The results quantitatively confirm the theoretical values of the binodal and spinodal (boundaries of the metastable region) previously predicted for this morphological transition.     

Coupling and stability of bright holographic soliton pairs

The coupling effect and stability property of symmetric bright holographic soliton pairs have been investigated numerically. Results show that when any one of the two solitary beams from a pair is perturbed in amplitude or width, both beams will be affected by such a perturbation via the coupling effect between the beams, thus resulting in both beams propagating in the medium without a constant shape; however, these two solitary beams are still stable against small perturbations. When both solitary beams from a pair are perturbed simultaneously in amplitude, for some given absolute values of the perturbations, the two beams are stable against these perturbations if both beams are perturbed with the same sign, whereas are unstable with the different signs. When the two beams are simultaneously perturbed in width, both beams exhibit their stability property similar to that when only one beam is perturbed no matter whether both perturbations have the same or different signs.     

Chaotic advection,diffusion, and reactions in open flows

We review and generalize recent results on advection of particles in open time-periodic hydrodynamical flows. First, the problem of passive advection is considered, and its fractal and chaotic nature is pointed out. Next, we study the effect of weak molecular diffusion or randomness of the flow. Finally, we investigate the influence of passive advection on chemical or biological activity superimposed on open flows. The nondiffusive approach is shown to carry some features of a weak diffusion, due to the finiteness of the reaction range or reaction velocity. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.     

Universality in active chaos

Many examples of chemical and biological processes take place in large-scale environmental flows. Such flows generate filamental patterns which are often fractal due to the presence of chaos in the underlying advection dynamics. In such processes, hydrodynamical stirring strongly couples into the reactivity of the advected species and might thus make the traditional treatment of the problem through partial differential equations difficult. Here we present a simple approach for the activity in inhomogeneously stirred flows. We show that the fractal patterns serving as skeletons and catalysts lead to a rate equation with a universal form that is independent of the flow, of the particle properties, and of the details of the active process. One aspect of the universality of our approach is that it also applies to reactions among particles of finite size (so-called inertial particles).     

Diagnosis of dynamic process over rainband of landfall typhoon

This paper introduces a new physical parameter - thermodynamic shear advection parameter combining the perturbation vertical component of convective vorticity vector with the coupling of horizontal divergence perturbation and vertical gradient of general potential temperature perturbation.For a heavy-rainfall event resulting from the landfall typhoon ’Wipha’,the parameter is calculated by using National Centres for Enviromental Prediction/National Centre for Atmospheric Research global final analysis data.The results showed that the parameter corresponds to the observed 6 h accumulative rainband since it is capable of catching hold of the dynamic and thermodynamic disturbance in the lower troposphere over the observed rainband.Before the typhoon landed,the advection of the parameter by basic-state flow and the coupling of general potential temperature perturbation with curl of Coriolis force perturbation are the primary dynamic processes which are responsible for the local change of the parameter.After the typhoon landed,the disturbance is mainly driven by the combination of five primary dynamic processes.The advection of the parameter by basic-state flow was weakened after the typhoon landed.     

Destabilization of a Saffman-Taylor fingerlike pattern in a granular suspension

We study the Saffman-Taylor instability in a granular suspension formed by micrometric beads immersed in a viscous liquid. When using an effective viscosity for the flow of the suspension in the Hele-Shaw cell to define the control parameter of the system, the results for the finger width of stable fingers are found to be close to the classical results of Saffman-Taylor. One observes, however, an early destabilization of the fingers that can be attributed to the discrete nature of the individual grains. Classically, the threshold of destabilization is linked to the noise in the cell and is thus difficult to quantify. We show that the grains represent a "controlled noise" and produce an initial perturbation of the interface with an amplitude proportional to the grain size. The finite amplitude instability mechanism proposed by Bensimon et al. allows us to link this perturbation to the value of the threshold observed.     

Bounds on the mixing enhancement for a stirred binary fluid

The Cahn-Hilliard equation describes phase separation in binary liquids. Here we study this equation with spatially-varying sources and stirring, or advection. We specialize to symmetric mixtures and time-independent sources and discuss stirring strategies that homogenize the binary fluid. By measuring fluctuations of the composition away from its mean value, we quantify the amount of homogenization achievable. We find upper and lower bounds on our measure of homogenization using only the Cahn-Hilliard equation and the incompressibility of the advecting flow. We compare these theoretical bounds with numerical simulations for two model flows: the constant flow, and the random-phase sine flow. Using the sine flow as an example, we show how our bounds on composition fluctuations provide a measure of the effectiveness of a given stirring protocol in homogenizing a phase-separating binary fluid.     

Steady large-scale modulation of a moderately turbulent co-flow jet

The effects of a spatial modulation acting at the inflow of a moderately turbulent planar jet surrounded by a faster co-flow are investigated using direct numerical simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations. We adopt a superposition of spatially filtered small-scale random perturbations and a structured large-scale flow modulation. The large-scale modulation is characterised in terms of a Beltrami flow, specified by a wavenumber K. These large-scale modulations are steady and spatially periodic, while the random small-scale perturbations fluctuate in time and in space. The flow configuration studied in this paper is agitated by this combined large- and small-scale agitation at the inflow plane of a rectangular domain of size L × L × 2L in the x-, y- and streamwise z-directions. The inflow perturbation is focused on a strip of size L × D in the x- and y-directions. A parametric variation is carried out considering different choices for the wavenumber of the large-scale modulation. We focus on effects that the inflow modulation has on global characteristics of the flow, e.g. the width of the mixing region formed between the two streams and the dissipation rate, ?. Results show that the width of the mixing region increases faster compared to the case without the large-scale perturbation, when the flow is agitated by structures of size comparable to the integral scales of the flow. For the dissipation rate, results show the presence of a maximum response at a certain wavenumber K in case we apply a large-scale modulation. This maximum is attained at modulation scales that vary locally with respect to the distance from the inflow plane. Close to the inflow, the maximum response occurs at small modulation scales, while further into the domain a maximum response is present at comparably large modulation scales.     

Dynamo theory,vorticity generation,and exponential stretching

A discussion is given of the analogy between the dynamo equation for the generation of a magnetic field by the motion of an electrically conducting fluid and the equation for the evolution of vorticity of a viscous fluid. In both cases exponential stretching is an important feature of the underlying instability problem. For the "fast" dynamo problem, the existence of exponential stretching (i.e., the positivity of the Lyapunov exponent) somewhere in the flow is a necessary condition when the flow is smooth. An example is presented of a flow with exponential stretching (an Anosov flow) that supports fast dynamo action. A parallel treatment is described for the linearized Navier-Stokes equations for the motion of a viscous fluid. In this problem the analogous necessary condition for "fast vorticity generation" is the existence of some instability in the corresponding Euler (i.e., inviscid) equation. Dynamo theory methods give a second related result, namely a universal geometric estimate from below on the growth rate of a small perturbation in an inviscid fluid. This bound gives an effective sufficient condition for local instability for Eulers equations. In particular, it is proved that a steady flow with a hyperbolic stagnation point is unstable. The growth rate of an infinitesimal perturbation in a metric with derivatives depends on this metric. This dependence is completely described.     

On the stability of periodic solutions of the generalized Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation

We study the stability of a four-parameter family of spatially periodic traveling wave solutions of the generalized Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation under two classes of perturbations: periodic perturbations with the same periodic structure as the underlying wave, and long wavelength localized perturbations. In particular, we derive necessary conditions for spectral instability under perturbation for both classes of perturbations by deriving appropriate asymptotic expansions of the periodic Evans function, and we outline a theory of nonlinear stability under periodic perturbations based on variational methods which effectively extends our periodic spectral stability results.