Bifurcation transitions in a photochemical system under low magnetic fields

Abstract

In the last decades, the effect of low magnetic fields on biochemical and chemical systems has been an urgent problem. By now numerous experimental and theoretical studies have been conducted to demonstrate that commonly this effect is of no essence as it does not exceed 10%. However, there are experimental works which testify that in some systems, magnetic field effects are more significant. Thus, of great interest is an active search for rather simple but realistic models that are based on physically explicit assumptions and able to account for a strong effect of low magnetic fields. The present work not only offers a theoretical study on the simplest photochemical system, describing a reversible reaction of photodissociation, but also shows how a low magnetic field can strongly modify its properties under highly nonequilibrium conditions. It is assumed that external magnetic field can have effect on the rates of radical reactions occurring in a system. This, in turn, leads to bifurcation of the nonequilibrium stationary state and, thus, to a drastic change in the properties of chemical systems (temperature and reagent concentration).