Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.117, No.41, 10615-10618, 2013
Chemical Wave Propagation Preserved on an Inhibitory Field in the Ruthenium-Catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction
The propagation of a chemical wave on an inhibitory field, which was wedged between two excitable fields, was investigated for the photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. With an increase in the width of the inhibitory field between the excitable fields (W), the chemical wave divided into two waves at W = W-alpha. The divided chemical waves then coalesced at W = W-beta with a decrease in W. W-alpha was larger than W-beta, i.e., hysteresis on the width of the inhibitory field was observed between the division and coalescence of the chemical wave. The experimental results were qualitatively reproduced by a numerical calculation based on a three-variable Oregonator model modified for the photosensitive BZ reaction. These results suggest that the chemical wave may be preserved on the inhibitory field due to an activator supplied from a chemical wave on the excitable field.