Complex Dynamics in Reaction-Phase Separation Systems

TL;DR

This paper explores complex spatio-temporal behaviors in reaction-phase separation systems, revealing how autocatalytic reactions and multi-dimensional effects lead to persistent dynamic patterns and droplets.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of stability and dynamics in binary phase separation systems with autocatalytic reactions, highlighting novel complex behaviors in multiple dimensions.

Findings

Sustained pulsed dynamics in one-dimensional systems with both species phase separating

Persistent, complex droplet formations in two-dimensional systems

Emergence of complex dynamics explained via cellular automata framework

Abstract

We investigate the emergence of sustained spatio-temporal behaviors in reaction-phase separation systems. We focus on binary systems, in which either one or both species can phase separate, and we discuss the stability of the homogeneous state determining the conditions for the emergence of a Hopf-type bifurcation. We then examine the effects of a specific autocatalytic chemical reaction, and computationally determine the full solutions to the partial differential equations. We find that when both species phase separate, sustained pulsed dynamics arise in one dimension. When considered in two dimensions, the system generates persistent, complex dynamic droplets, which do not generally appear if only one of the species can phase separate. We finally discuss the emergence of dynamics with complex features, which can be understood using the framework of a cellular automata.