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We suggest three possible mechanisms for formation of segmented waves and spirals. These structures were observed in the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction dispersed in a water-in-oil aerosol OT microemulsion. The first mechanism is caused by interaction of two coupled subsystems, one of which is excitable, and the other one has Turing instability depending on the parameters. It is shown that, segmented spirals evolve from ordinary smooth spirals as a result of the transverse Turing instability. We demonstrate that depending on the properties of subsystems different segmented spirals emerge. For the second mechanism we suggest "splitting" of the traveling wave in the vicinity of the bifurcation point of codimension-2, where the boundaries of the Turing and wave instabilities intersect. Finally we show that the segmented waves can emerge in some simple two-component reaction-diffusion models having more than one steady state, particularly in a FitzHugh–Nagumo model.

The main feature of a two-dimensional turbulent flow, constantly excited by an external force, is the appearance of an inverse energy cascade. Due to nonlinear effects, the spatial scale of the vortices created by the external force increases until the growth is stopped by the size of the cell. In the latter case, energy is accumulated at these dimensions. Under certain conditions, accumulation leads to the appearance of a system of coherent vortices. The observed vortices are of the order of the box size and, on average, are isotropic. Numerical simulation is an effective way to study such the processes. Of particular interest is the problem of studying the viscous fluid turbulence in a square cell under excitation by short-wave and long-wave static external forces. Numerical modeling was carried out with a weakly compressible fluid in a two-dimensional square cell with zero boundary conditions. The work shows how the flow characteristics are influenced by the spatial frequency of the external force and the magnitude of the viscosity of the fluid itself. An increase in the spatial frequency of the external force leads to stabilization and laminarization of the flow. At the same time, with an increased spatial frequency of the external force, a decrease in viscosity leads to the resumption of the mechanism of energy transfer along the inverse cascade due to a shift in the energy dissipation region to a region of smaller scales compared to the pump scale.

A method and a complex of computer programs are developed for the numerical simulation of the polaron states excitation process in condensed media. A numerical study of the polaron states formation in water under the action of the ultraviolet range laser irradiation is carried out. Our approach allows to reproduce the experimental data of the hydrated electrons formation. A numerical scheme is presented for the solution of the respective system of nonlinear partial differential equations. Parallel implementation is based on the MPI technique. The numerical results are given in comparison with the experimental data and theoretical estimations.

Excitation waves are a prototype of self-organized dynamic patterns in non-equilibrium systems. They develop their own intrinsic dynamics resulting in travelling waves of various forms and shapes. Prominent examples are rotating spirals and scroll waves. It is an interesting and challenging task to find ways to control their behavior by applying external signals, upon which these propagating waves react. We apply external electric fields to such waves in the excitable Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. Remarkable effects include the change of wave speed, reversal of propagation direction, annihilation of counter-rotating spiral waves and reorientation of scroll wave filaments. These effects can be explained in numerical simulations, where the negatively charged inhibitor bromide plays an essential role. Electric field effects have also been investigated in biological excitable media such as the social amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum. Quite recently we have started to investigate electric field effect in the BZ reaction dissolved in an Aerosol OT water-in-oil microemulsion. A drift of complex patterns can be observed, and also the viscosity and electric conductivity change. We discuss the assumption that this system can act as a model for long range communication between neurons.

Investigation of logical deterministic cellular automata models of population dynamics allows to reveal detailed individual-based mechanisms. The search for such mechanisms is important in connection with ecological problems caused by overexploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution and climate change. Classical models of population dynamics have the phenomenological nature, as they are “black boxes”. Phenomenological models fundamentally complicate research of detailed mechanisms of ecosystem functioning. We have investigated the role of fecundity and duration of resources regeneration in mechanisms of population growth using four models of ecosystem with one species. These models are logical deterministic cellular automata and are based on physical axiomatics of excitable medium with regeneration. We have modeled catastrophic death of population arising from increasing of resources regeneration duration. It has been shown that greater fecundity accelerates population extinction. The investigated mechanisms are important for understanding mechanisms of sustainability of ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. Prospects of the presented modeling approach as a method of transparent multilevel modeling of complex systems are discussed.

We have studied properties of non-linear waves in a mathematical model of a predator – prey system with taxis. We demonstrate that, for systems with negative and positive taxis there typically exists a large region in the parameter space, where the waves demonstrate quasi-soliton interaction; colliding waves can penetrate through each other, and waves can also reflect from impermeable boundaries. In this paper, we use numerical simulations to demonstrate also a new wave phenomenon — a half-soliton interaction of waves, when of two colliding waves, one annihilates and the other continues to propagate. We show that this effect depends on the «ages» or, equivalently, «widths» of the colliding waves.

Epidemic models are widely used to mimic social activity, such as spreading of rumors or panic. Simultaneously, models of excitable media are traditionally used to simulate the propagation of activity. Spreading of activity in the virtual community was simulated within two models: the SIRS epidemic model and the Wiener – Rosenblut model of the excitable media. We used network versions of these models. The network was assumed to be heterogeneous, namely, each element of the network has an individual set of characteristics, which corresponds to different psychological types of community members. The structure of a virtual network relies on an appropriate scale-free network. Modeling was carried out on scale-free networks with various values of the average degree of vertices. Additionally, a special case was considered, namely, a complete graph corresponding to a close professional group, when each member of the group interacts with each. Participants in a virtual community can be in one of three states: 1) potential readiness to accept certain information; 2) active interest to this information; 3) complete indifference to this information. These states correspond to the conditions that are usually used in epidemic models: 1) susceptible to infection, 2) infected, 3) refractory (immune or death due to disease). A comparison of the two models showed their similarity both at the level of main assumptions and at the level of possible modes. Distribution of activity over the network is similar to the spread of infectious diseases. It is shown that activity in virtual networks may experience fluctuations or decay.