Spiral wave drift in an electric field and scroll wave instabilities

TL;DR

This paper investigates how electric fields influence spiral wave drift in excitable media, revealing a resonance phenomenon affecting drift speed and linking it to scroll wave instabilities through numerical and theoretical analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a phenomenological model explaining drift behavior and its relation to scroll wave instabilities, supported by numerical linear stability analysis.

Findings

Drift speed varies strongly near a parameter where its component changes direction.

Resonance of meander and translation modes explains drift behavior.

Link established between drift phenomena and scroll wave long wavelength instabilities.

Abstract

I present the numerical computation of speed and direction of the drift of a spiral wave in an excitable medium in the presence of an electric field. In contrast to earlier results, the drift speed presents a strong variation close to the parameter value where the drift speed component along the field changes direction. Using a simple phenomenological model and results from a numerical linear stability analysis of scroll waves, I show this behavior can be attributed to a resonance of the meander modes with the translation modes of the spiral wave. Extending this phenomenological model to scroll waves also clarifies the link between the drift and long wavelength instabilities of scroll waves.