Spiral Wave Dynamics in Excitable Media with Spherical Geometries

We describe the spatial and temporal organization of spiral and scroll waves in spherical shells of different sizes and solid spheres. We present simulation results for the evolution of the dynamics and clustering of spiral waves as a function of the excitability of the medium. The excitability, topology, and size of the domain places restrictions on how single and multiarmed spiral waves are organized in space. The results in spherical geometries are compared with those in planar twodimensional media. These studies are relevant to the dynamics of spiral waves in a variety of media including the heart, and chemical reactions on spherical surfaces.