Periodic sequence of stabilized wave segments in an excitable medium.

Abstract

Numerical computations show that a stabilization of a periodic sequence of wave segments propagating through an excitable medium is possible only in a restricted domain within the parameter space. By application of a free-boundary approach, we demonstrate that at the boundary of this domain the parameter H introduced in our Rapid Communication is constant. We show also that the discovered parameter predetermines the propagation velocity and the shape of the wave segments. The predictions of the free-boundary approach are in good quantitative agreement with results from numerical reaction-diffusion simulations performed on the modified FitzHugh-Nagumo model.