Interaction of Wave Trains with Defects

The evolution and transition of planar wave trains propagating through defects(obstacles) in an excitable medium are studied. When the frequency of the planar wave trains is increased, three different dynamical regimes,namely fusion, "V" waves, and spiral waves, are observed in turn and the underlying mechanism is discussed. The dynamics is concerned with the shapes of the defects. Circle, triangle, and rectangle defects with different sizes are considered. The increase of pacing frequency broadens the fan-shaped broken region in the behind of a rectangle defect.The increase of width of a triangle defect leads to breakup of wave trains easier while the change of height shows opposite effect, which is presented in a phase diagram. Dynamical comparison on defects with different shapes indicates that the decrease of the defect width along the propagation of wave trains makes the fan-shaped region and the minimal frequency for breakup of spiral both increased.