Nonlinear Waves in Active Media: (Research Reports in Physics)

TIlis volume contains the contributions to the Euromech Colloquium No. 241 on Nonlinear Waves in Active Media at the Institute of Cybernetics of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, Tallinn, Estonia, USSR, September 27-30, 1988. The Co-chairmen of the Euromech Colloquium felt that it would be a good service to the community to publish these proceedings. First, the topic itself dealing with various wave processes with energy influx is extremely interesting and attracted a much larger number of participants than usual - a clear sign of its importance to the scientific community. Second, Euromech No. 241 was actually the first Euromech Colloquium held in the Soviet Union and could thus be viewed as a milestone in the extending scientific contacts between East and West. At the colloquium 50 researchers working in very different branches of sci- ence met to lecture on their results and to discuss problems of common interest. An introductory paper by I. Engelbrecht presents the common motivation and background of the topics covered. Altogether 36 speakers presented their lectures, of which 30 are gathered here. The remaining six papers which will appear elsewhere are listed on page X. In addition, three contributions by authors who could not attend the colloquium are included. The two lectures given by A.S. Mikhailov, V.S. Davydov and V.S. Zykov are here published as one long paper.

Table of Contents:
I General Problems.- Nonlinear Waves in Active Media: An Introduction.- A Variable Coefficient Version of Zakharov and Shabat’s Method: With Applications to the Integration of Variable Coefficient Nonlinear Equations and to Perturbed Soliton Equations.- Evolution Equations Compatible with Quasilinear Hyperbolic Models Involving Source-Like Terms.- Steady Waves in Active Birelaxating Media.- Asymmetric Solitary Waves in Active Media.- Kinematical Theory of Autowave Patterns in Excitable Media.- Dynamics of Spiral Waves in Nonequilibrium Media.- The Formation of Structures in Gravitationally Unstable Media.- Stability of Cellular Wave Structures in Oscillatory Pattern-Forming Systems near Onset.- II Mechanics.- Group Theory for the Domino Effect.- Wave Motion of Elongated Elastic Bodies Subjected to Nonlinear Flutter.- Instabilities and Waves in Heterogeneous Systems.- Energy Exchange Between Nonlinear Waves in Elastic Waveguides and External Media.- III Hydrodynamics and Related Topics.- Instability and Turbulence.- Autowaves of Turbulence in Hydrodynamics.- Amplification of Nonlinear Waves in the Medium with Temporal Fluctuations.- Laser Stimulated Instabilities of Waves in a Subsurface Layer of a Liquid.- Regular and Chaotic Dynamics of Coherently Pumped 3-Level Lasers.- Simulation of Transient Waves in Active Magnetoelastic Solids.- Duffing-like Behavior in Extended Turbulence Mode Models.- Nonlinear Microscopic Model for Heterogeneous Medium with Discrete Sources.- IV Biological Systems.- A Parameter Study of Focused Sound Fields in Active Media.- Idiosyncracies of Cardiac Tissue as an Excitable Medium.- Active Media with Discrete Sources and “Jumping Waves”.- The Continuum Approach as Applied to Wave Phenomena in Physiological Systems.- Spatio-temporalComplexity in Biological Systems.- V Combustion, Shocks and Related Problems.- Structure of Unstable Gas Detonation Front.- Observations on the Nature of Reaction Runaway in Reaction-Diffusion Systems.- The Interaction of High Frequency Low Amplitude Acoustic Waves with Premixed Flames.- Reaction-Diffusion Waves in a Simple Isothermal Chemical System.- Amplification of Shock Waves in Nonequilibrium Gas-Liquid Systems.- Nonlinear Waves in a Reacting Mixture.- Numerical Simulation of Condensation Waves in Gases.- List of Participants.- Index of Contributors.