Abstract
Scroll waves in a three-dimensional media may develop into turbulence due to negative tension of the filament. Such negative tension-induced instability of scroll waves has been observed in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction systems. Here we propose a method to restabilize scroll wave turbulence caused by negative tension in three-dimensional chemical excitable media using a circularly polarized (rotating) external field. The stabilization mechanism is analyzed in terms of phase-locking caused by the external field, which makes the effective filament tension positive. The phase-locked scroll waves that have positive tension and higher frequency defy the turbulence and finally restore order. A linear theory for the change of filament tension caused by a generic rotating external field is presented and its predictions closely agree with numerical simulations.
- Received 5 June 2015
- Revised 20 October 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.93.012216
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