Coiling and supercoiling of vortex filaments in oscillatory media

Coiling and supercoiling of vortex filaments in oscillatory media

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Rousseau, G.; Chaté, H.; Kapral, R.

Source:

Physical Review Letters, Volume 80, Number 25, p.5671-5674 (1998)

URL:

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0000685011&doi=10.1103%2fPhysRevLett.80.5671&partnerID=40&md5=c2a96031c972368721b3bfe21fadd885

Abstract:

We study the behavior of vortex filaments subject to a uniform density of phase twist in oscillatory media described by the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation. The first instability is a supercritical Hopf bifurcation to stable propagating helical vortices. The secondary instability, also a forward Hopf bifurcation, leads to quasiperiodic supercoiled filaments. The structural changes undergone by these dynamical objects are akin to those of twisted elastic rods. © 1998 American Physical Society.