Coherent and incoherent structures in systems described by the 1D CGLE: experiments and identification

Much of the nontrivial dynamics of the one-dimensional (1D) complex Ginzburg–Landau equation (CGLE) is dominated by propagating structures that are characterized by local “twists” of the phase-field. I give a brief overview of the most important properties of these various structures, formulate a number of experimental challenges and address the question how such structures may be identified in experimental space–time data sets.