Phase vortices in the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation
Parameters
Defects
Defects: 0 Pairs: 0
About
The complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE):
∂A/∂t = A + (1+iα)∇²A − (1+iβ)|A|²A
describes oscillatory media near a Hopf bifurcation. When αβ < -1 (Benjamin-Feir instability), plane waves are unstable and topological defects (phase vortices) proliferate.
Each defect has a winding number ±1. Defects annihilate in pairs and maintain a quasi-steady density — this is defect-mediated turbulence.