On propagation failure in one- and two-dimensional excitable media

We present a nonperturbative technique to study pulse dynamics in excitable media. The method is used to study propagation failure in one-dimensional and two-dimensional excitable media. In one-dimensional media we describe the behavior of pulses and wave trains near the saddle node bifurcation, where propagation fails. The generalization of our method to two dimensions captures the point where a broken front (or finger) starts to retract. We obtain approximate expressions for the pulse shape, pulse velocity, and scaling behavior. The results are compared with numerical simulations and show good agreement.