Parametric wave induces straight drift of spiral waves in excitable medium

Abstract

Suppressing or eliminating spiral waves in an excitable medium is of practical significance. In this paper, the parametric wave is used to eliminate the spiral wave in an excitable medium modeled by Barkley equations. We found that the parametric wave could push the spiral tip out of the medium, thereby eliminating the spiral wave. Interestingly, parametric waves with particular amplitude and wave velocity could make the spiral tip drift along straight lines, which may correspond to efficient suppression of the spiral wave. Numerical results show that the drift velocity increases with the amplitude of the parametric wave prominently, while the frequency does not influence V significantly. The drift direction is determined by both the amplitude and frequency of the parametric wave. The parametric wave can push the spiral to drift along a totally different direction, even the opposite one, depending on the amplitude and frequency.