Christian W. Zemlin, Karthik Mukund, Vadim N. Biktashev, Arkady M. Pertsov
Submitted to PRE: 2005/12/19. Accepted: 2006/03/22. Published: Phys Rev E 74:016207, 2006
We describe the dynamics of bound states of same-chirality spirals in a generic numerical model of an excitable medium. For each bound state, we analyze its tip trajectory patterns and determine its characteristic frequencies. We report two new bound states: for spiral pairs, a state that exhibits alternating cycles of small and large distances between collisions (A2); for triplets, the first example of a meandering bound state (M3). In parameter space, A2 lies in between the previously described oscillating pairs (O2) and master-slave pairs (MS). We present numerical evidence that the transition O2->A2 occurs via a supercritical period-doubling bifurcation, while the transition A2->MS occurs via a symmetry breaking secondary Hopf bifurcation. A classification of all regimes according to dynamical systems theory exposes the wealth of phenomena exhibited by multiarmed spiral waves.
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