Transition from bright to dark dissipative solitons in dielectricbarrier gas-discharge

In this article we deal with the experimental investigation of pattern formation in a planar ac gas-discharge system with a dielectric barrier. We report on the first observation of the transition from bright to dark current filaments and vice versa via stripe-like patterns. The observed phenomena become classified in the framework of Turing-structures and solitary objects and are compared to results obtained by numerical simulations of a two-component reaction-diffusion-system.