Bifurcation to spatially induced chaos in a reaction-diffusion system (Q2639811)

A one-dimensional reaction-diffusion equation is used to model a class of experimental open chemical systems in which spatiotemporal patterns can be sustained indefinitely: the asymptotic system state varies in time and space. One-dimensional, two-variable, reaction-diffusion models of a broad class of experimental reactors are investigated. Numerical simulations reveal a bifurcation sequence from steady state to temporally chaotic spatial structures. The high precision of the simulations resolves system dynamics that are unobservable in experiments, uncovering the physical mechanisms that drive the transitions. The physical mechanism that causes this behavior is deduced from analysis of the local dynamics: localized oscillators appear at each end of the reactor and one of the oscillators acts as a periodic forcing for the other. The utility of simple models for analyzing and understanding such systems is demonstrated.