Harmonic vs. subharmonic patterns in a spatially forced oscillating chemical reaction

Abstract

The effects of a spatially periodic forcing on an oscillating chemical reaction as described by the Lengyel-Epstein model are investigated. We find a surprising competition between two oscillating patterns, where one is harmonic and the other subharmonic with respect to the spatially periodic forcing. The occurrence of a subharmonic pattern is remarkable as well as its preference up to rather large values of the modulation amplitude. For small modulation amplitudes we derive from the model system a generic equation for the envelope of the oscillating reaction that includes an additional forcing contribution, compared to the amplitude equations known from previous studies in other systems. The analysis of this amplitude equation allows the derivation of analytical expressions even for the forcing corrections to the threshold and to the oscillation frequency, which are in a wide range of parameters in good agreement with the numerical analysis of the complete reaction equations. In the nonlinear regime beyond threshold, the subharmonic solutions exist in a finite range of the control parameter that has been determined by solving the reaction equations numerically for various sets of parameters.