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Boundary-Driven Delayed-Feedback Control of Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Excitable Media.
Sebastián Echeverría-Alar1, Wouter-Jan Rappel1
1University of California, Department of Physics, San Diego, California 92093, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|January 20, 2026
Summary
Boundary heterogeneities stabilize spiral wave dynamics in excitable models, offering a novel mechanism to suppress life-threatening arrhythmias. This research presents a new approach for controlling complex spatiotemporal dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Computational Biology
- Nonlinear Dynamics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Scroll-wave instabilities in excitable media are a primary cause of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
- Current methods for stabilizing these complex spatiotemporal dynamics are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of boundary layer heterogeneities on scroll-wave dynamics in a quasi-2D semidiscrete excitable model.
- To identify novel mechanisms for suppressing meandering and chaotic spiral wave behavior.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a quasi-2D semidiscrete excitable model to simulate spatiotemporal dynamics.
- Analyzed the effects of varying boundary layer heterogeneities.
- Derived a reduced 2D model to understand stabilization mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Discovered a novel boundary-driven mechanism that effectively suppresses meandering and chaotic spiral dynamics.
- Identified a pinning-unpinning-like transition mediated by the strength of boundary heterogeneities.
- Found that decreased bulk excitability and boundary-driven delayed feedback contribute to stabilization.
Conclusions:
- Boundary heterogeneities offer a promising strategy for controlling scroll-wave instabilities.
- The findings suggest potential alternative therapeutic approaches for managing arrhythmias.
- This study provides insights into the fundamental physics of pattern formation and control in excitable systems.
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