Organizing centers in a cellular excitable medium

Excitable media provide much of the subject-matter of physiology, especially of electrophysiology. We simulate excitability in a cubical three-dimensional grid of discrete cells. Topologically distinct organizing centers for self-sustaining rhythmic activity (at period 4) arise from suitable initial conditions. Two are shown: the scroll ring and the linked pair of twisted scroll rings. The first has already been observed in a chemically excitable reagent and possibly in heart muscle; the second, and others of a predicted “periodic table of organizing centers”, remain to be observed outside computers.     

Cookbook asymptotics for spiral and scroll waves in excitable media

Algebraic formulas predicting the frequencies and shapes of waves in a reaction-diffusion model of excitable media are presented in the form of four recipes. The formulas themselves are based on a detailed asymptotic analysis (published elsewhere) of the model equations at leading order and first order in the asymptotic parameter. The importance of the first order contribution is stressed throughout, beginning with a discussion of the Fife limit, Fife scaling, and Fife regime. Recipes are given for spiral waves and detailed comparisons are presented between the asymptotic predictions and the solutions of the full reaction-diffusion equations. Recipes for twisted scroll waves with straight filaments are given and again comparisons are shown. The connection between the asymptotic results and filament dynamics is discussed, and one of the previously unknown coefficients in the theory of filament dynamics is evaluated in terms of its asymptotic expansion. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.     

Dynamics of Vortex-Wave under a Travelling-Wave Modulation

The mechanism of destabilization is studied for the rotating vortices （scroll waves and spiral waves） in excitable media induced by a parameter modulation in the form of a travelling-wave. It is found that a rigid rotating spiral in the two-dimensional （2D） system undergoes a synchronized drift along a straight line, and a 3D scroll ring with its filament closed into a circle can be reoriented only if the direction of wave number of a travelling-wave perturbation is parallel to the ring plane. Then, in order to describe the behaviour of the synchronized drift of spiral wave and the reorientation of scroll ring, the approximate formulas are given to exhibit qualitative agreements with the observed results.     

可激发介质中环形异质介质导致自维持靶波

在二维可激发介质中引入环形异质可激发介质,研究了可激发介质中自维持靶波的形成,数值模拟结果表明:当介质的激发性和环的尺寸适当选取时,初始的扰动可在可激发介质中产生自维持靶波,对产生自维持靶波的物理机理作了讨论.     

Formation and evolution of scroll waves in photosensitive excitable media

Experimental and computational studies of the formation and evolution of scroll waves in three-dimensional excitable media are presented. Scroll waves are initiated in the photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction by perturbing traveling waves transverse to their direction of propagation. Scroll rings are generated by perturbing circular waves, which expand or contract depending on the strength of an imposed excitability gradient and its direction relative to the rotational direction of the scroll wave. (c) 1998 American Institute of Physics.     

Selection of twisted scroll waves in three-dimensional excitable media

The selection of shape and rotation frequency for scroll waves in reaction-diffusion equations modeling excitable media is investigated. For scrolls with uniform twist about straight filaments, asymptotic methods are used to derive free-boundary equations at leading and first order. Both orders are validated against full solutions of the reaction-diffusion equations. Using these two orders and with no adjustable parameters, the shape and frequency of waves are correctly predicted except possibly near the point of propagation failure where the core becomes large.     

Alternative stable scroll waves and conversion of autowave turbulence

Rotating spiral and scroll waves (vortices) are investigated in the FitzHugh-Nagumo model of excitable media. The focus is on a parameter region in which there exists bistability between alternative stable vortices with distinct periods. Response functions are used to predict the filament tension of the alternative scrolls and it is shown that the slow-period scroll has negative filament tension, while the filament tension of the fast-period scroll changes sign within a hysteresis loop. The predictions are confirmed by direct simulations. Further investigations show that the slow-period scrolls display features similar to delayed after-depolarization and tend to develop into turbulence similar to ventricular fibrillation (VF). Scrolls with positive filament tension collapse or stabilize, similar to monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT). Perturbations, such as boundary interaction or shock stimulus, can convert the vortex with negative filament tension into the vortex with positive filament tension. This may correspond to transition from VF to VT unrelated to pinning.     

Covariant stringlike dynamics of scroll wave filaments in anisotropic cardiac tissue

It has been hypothesized that stationary scroll wave filaments in cardiac tissue describe a geodesic in a curved space whose metric is the inverse diffusion tensor. Several numerical studies support this hypothesis, but no analytical proof has been provided yet for general anisotropy. In this Letter, we derive dynamic equations for the filament in the case of general anisotropy. These equations are covariant under general spatial coordinate transformations and describe the motion of a stringlike object in a curved space whose metric tensor is the inverse diffusion tensor. Therefore the behavior of scroll wave filaments in excitable media with anisotropy is similar to the one of cosmic strings in a curved universe. Our dynamic equations are valid for thin filaments and for general anisotropy. We show that stationary filaments obey the geodesic equation.     

Scroll waves in spherical shell geometries

The evolution of scroll waves in excitable media with spherical shell geometries is studied as a function of shell thickness and outer radius. The motion of scroll wave filaments that are the locii of phaseless points in the medium and organize the wave pattern is investigated. When the inner radius is sufficiently large the filaments remain attached to both the inner and outer surfaces. The minimum size of the sphere that supports spiral waves and the maximum number of spiral waves that can be sustained on a sphere of given size are determined for both regular and random initial distributions. When the inner radius is too small to support spiral waves the filaments detach from the inner surface and form a curved filament connecting the two spiral tips in the surface. In certain parameter domains the filament is an arc of a circle that shrinks with constant shape. For parameter values close to the meandering border, the filament grows and collisions with the sphere walls lead to turbulent filament dynamics. (c) 2001 American Institute of Physics.     

Anchoring of drifting spiral and scroll waves to impermeable inclusions in excitable media

Anchoring of spiral and scroll waves in excitable media has attracted considerable interest in the context of cardiac arrhythmias. Here, by bombarding inclusions with drifting spiral and scroll waves, we explore the forces exerted by inclusions onto an approaching spiral and derive the equations of motion governing spiral dynamics in the vicinity of inclusion. We demonstrate that these forces nonmonotonically depend on distance and can lead to complex behavior: (a)?anchoring to small but circumnavigating larger inclusions; (b)?chirality-dependent anchoring.     

极化电场对可激发介质中螺旋波的控制

螺旋波在不同的物理、化学和生物系统中普遍存在.周期外场,比如极化电场,尤其是具有旋转对称性的圆极化电场可对螺旋波动力学产生重要影响.本文综述了极化电场对可激发介质中螺旋波的控制,包括共振漂移、同步、手征对称性破缺、多臂螺旋波的稳定、次激发介质中的螺旋波、三维回卷波湍流态的控制、心脏组织中螺旋波的去钉扎、心脏组织中螺旋波湍流态的控制等.     

A plausible mechanism for the motion of untwisted scroll rings in excitable media

Periodically rotating spiral waves have been much studied in two-dimensional excitable media. In three dimensions the corresponding ‘scroll rings’ have a richer geometry and an additional dynamical aspect. Owing to the curvature of such a ring, its speed of rotation and the normal velocity of wavefronts are only quasi-periodic. These effects lead to horizontal and vertical polarizations of the wavefront's motion, which in turn lead to horizontal and vertical drift. We derive the dependence of these motions on the curvature of the ring: it agrees qualitatively with numerical experiments. The wavefront is also deformed near the center of rotation (the ring) in ways revealed by this analysis.     

A geometric theory for scroll wave filaments in anisotropic excitable media

Scroll waves are an important example of self-organisation in excitable media. In cardiac tissue, scroll waves of electrical activity underlie lethal ventricular arrhythmias and fibrillation. They rotate around a topological line defect which has been termed the filament. Numerical investigation has shown that anisotropy can substantially affect the dynamics of scroll waves. It has recently been hypothesised that stationary scroll wave filaments in cardiac tissue describe geodesics in a space whose metric is the inverse diffusion tensor. Several computational studies have validated this hypothesis, but until now no quantitative theory has been provided to study the effects of anisotropy on scroll wave filaments. Here, we review in detail the recently developed covariant formalism for scroll wave dynamics in general anisotropy and derive the equations of motion of filaments. These equations are fully covariant under general spatial coordinate transformations and describe the motion of filaments in a curved space whose metric tensor is the inverse diffusion tensor. Our dynamic equations are valid for thin filaments and for general anisotropy and we show that stationary filaments obey the geodesic equation. We extend previous work by allowing spatial variations in the determinant of the diffusion tensor and the reaction parameters, leading to drift of the filament.     

Organizing Filament of Small Amplitude Scroll Waves

We theoretically analyze the organizing filament of small amplitude scroll waves in general excitable media by perturbation method and explicitly give the expressions of coefficients in Keener theory.In particular for the excitable media with equal diffusion,we obtain a close system for the motion of the filament.With an example of the Oregonator Model,our results are in good agreement with those simulated by Windree.     

Linear stability of scroll waves

A full linear stability of a straight scroll wave in an excitable medium is presented. The five eigenmode branches which correspond to deformation in the third dimension of the five main modes of two-dimensional (2D) spiral dynamics are found to play a dominant role. For untwisted scroll waves, modulations in the third dimension have stabilizing or destabilizing effects on the different modes depending on the parameter regimes, in partial agreement with previous predictions. The influence of twist on the different branches is investigated. In particular, the sproing instability is seen to arise from the twist-induced deformation of the translation branches above a threshold twist.     

Using weak impulses to suppress traveling waves in excitable media

Here we propose mechanisms for suppressing non-steady-state motions--propagating pulses, spiral waves, spiral-wave chaos--in excitable media. Our approach is based on two points: (1) excitable media are multistable; and (2) traveling waves in excitable media can be separated into fast and slow motions, which can be considered independently. We show that weak impulses can be used to change the values of the slow variable at the front and back of a traveling wave, which leads to wave front and wave back velocities that are different from each other. This effect can destabilize the traveling wave, resulting in a transition to the rest state.     

Excitable optical waves in semiconductor microcavities

We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically the existence of excitable optical waves in semiconductor microcavities. Although similar to those observed in biological and chemical systems, these excitable optical waves are self-confined. This is due to a new dynamical scenario, where a stationary Turning pattern controls the propagation of waves in an excitable medium, thus bringing together the two paradigms of dynamical behavior (waves and patterns) in active media.     

Rotating spiral waves in a modified Fitz-Hugh-Nagumo model

A modified Fitz-Hugh-Nagumo model (a two-variable reaction-diffusion system with an excitable kinetics and a diffusing fast variable) was used to study numerically the rotating waves in a circular domain and in a two-dimensional ring. Large deviations from a Wiener type of behaviour of rotating spiral waves were revealed. We have shown that there are conditions under which: (i) vortices can appear in a medium with a hole but do not exist in a disk; (ii) two kinds of vortices with considerably differing periods can occur in the same ring; (iii) there is a non-monotonic dependence of vortex period on the hole size. These phenomena are believed to take place in myocardial tissue and in chemical active media. The conditions under which they could be observed experimentally are discussed.     

Periodic forcing of scroll rings and control of Winfree turbulence in excitable media

By simulations of the Barkley model, action of uniform periodic nonresonant forcing on scroll rings and wave turbulence in three-dimensional excitable media is investigated. Sufficiently strong rapid forcing converts expanding scroll rings into the collapsing ones and suppresses the Winfree turbulence caused by the negative tension of wave filaments. Slow strong forcing has an opposite effect, leading to expansion of scroll rings and induction of the turbulence. These effects are explained in the framework of the phenomenological kinematic theory of scroll waves.     

Topological Constraints on Scroll and Spiral Waves in Excitable Media

A conservation equation for topological charges of phase singularities （scroll and spiral waves） in excitable media is given. It provides some topological properties of scroll （spiral） waves： for example, the topological charge of the generated or annihilated spiral pair must be opposite. Additionally, we obtain another equation on scroll waves, which shows that singular filaments of scroll waves occur on a set of one-dimensional curves which may be either closed loops or infinite lines.