Knotted scroll wave filaments in excitable media (Q913114)

The author uses asymptotic analysis and bifurcation theory to show that certain general systems of diffusion-reaction equations have knotted scroll wave solutions in three dimensional space. The main assumption is that in the two spatial dimensions the system of equations has solutions which are permanently rotating spiral patterns. The author introduces the equations of motion for the filament of a scroll wave, then gives a formulation that allows him to look for invariant solutions. Then, by use of perturbation methods, he finds invariant knotted solutions of these equations. A discussion of the validity of the results is given in the last section.