Interaction of spiral waves and checkerboard patterns in a two-dimensional coupled circle-map lattice system

Abstract

The interaction of multiple patterns has been of considerable interest in recent years. In this paper, we introduce a simple model system with a two-dimensional array of coupled phase oscillators that is effective in studying various features of spiral wave dynamics in discrete systems. We briefly describe spiral characteristic behaviors of spiral waves in our system and focus on the interaction between a spiral wave and the checkerboard pattern. We find that the interaction of these patterns results ill a spiral unwinding; spiral waves start to unwind from the boundary region where phases can easily lock to checkerboard patterns. We also describe the dynamic evolution when the spiral unwinding is accompanied by spontaneous disintegration of the spiral waves.