Abstract
In this work, we studied the growth dynamics of Turing patterns in the photosensitive chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid (CDIMA) reaction-diffusion system. The majority of the study focused on the growth dynamics of the system in response to perturbations with visible light. We applied perturbations to the system in the form of discs and squares of light. The dependence of the system's photosensitivity on the concentrations of chlorine dioxide and malonic acid was examined, as well as the dependence of the response to perturbations on the size, geometry, and application time of the perturbation. Furthermore, the mechanism by which Turing patterns are suppressed by visible light and the dependence of the response to perturbations on the intensity of the background illumination during the recovery process were both examined. During the course of these experiments we discovered that random patterns can reorganize into ordered, concentric rings or "target" Turing patterns. This work contributes to the general understanding of the growth dynamics of Turing patterns. In the other part of this study, we examined Ising and Bloch fronts. The Ising and Bloch initial conditions were achieved and the transition from the Ising to the Bloch front and from the Bloch to the Ising front in response to spatially periodic forcing with light was studied. We did not observe transitions between the Ising and the Bloch front or vice versa.