Reconnection of multiple scroll rings in a three-dimensional reaction-diffusion system.

Abstract

Two scroll rings, placed in close proximity, can interact. When they come within one core length of each other, these waves can reconnect to form a single, large filament. In this article we show that three or more scroll rings can also reconnect when they come within the critical distance. Multiple scroll rings form larger vortices of varied filament geometry, depending on their initial sizes and placements. Different filaments, resulting from a reconnection of the same number of scroll rings placed in diverse ways, can have different lifetimes. In experiments with the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction and numerical simulations based on a corresponding reaction-diffusion model, we demonstrate the interaction and reconnection of multiple scroll waves and try to elucidate their lifetimes and dynamics.