From labyrinthine patterns to spiral turbulence

Abstract

A new mechanism for spiral vortex nucleation in nongradient reaction diffusion systems is proposed. It involves two key ingredients: an ising-Bloch type front bifurcation and an instability of a planar front to transverse perturbations. Vortex nucleation by this mechanism plays an important role in inducing a transition from labyrinthine patterns to spiral turbulence.