### Session NK: Chaos

11:01 AM–1:37 PM, Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Hilton Chicago Room: Joliet

Chair: Thomas Solomon, Bucknell University

Abstract ID: BAPS.2005.DFD.NK.8

### Abstract: NK.00008 : Synchronization via superdiffusive mixing in an extended, advection-reaction-diffusion system

12:32 PM–12:45 PM

Preview Abstract MathJax On | Off     Abstract

#### Authors:

Matt Paoletti
Carolyn Nugent
Tom Solomon
(Bucknell University)

We study synchronization of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) chemical reaction in an annular chain of alternating vortices. The vortex chain can (a) oscillate, in which case chaotic advection enhances mixing between adjacent vortices, and/or (b) drift, in which case a jet region forms allowing tracers to travel rapidly around the annulus. If the chain both oscillates and drifts, the long-range transport is diffusive for drift velocity $v_d <$ oscillation velocity $v_o$ and superdiffusive for $v_d > v_o$. We map out the regimes in parameter space ($v_o$ versus $v_d$) where the BZ reaction synchronizes. We find that synchronization is much more prevalent for the regimes in which transport is superdiffusive. The results are interpreted by considering Levy flights -- tracer trajectories characterized by long jumps -- associated with superdiffusive transport as short-cuts'' connecting distant parts of the system, similar to those proposed for discrete small world'' networks.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2005.DFD.NK.8