The effect of an illumination jump on wave propagation in the Ru-catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction

The influence of visible light on the trigger wave propagation in a thin layer of the Ru(bpy)32+-catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction is investigated. The velocity evolution of a wave propagating in the dark was followed after switching on the light. The velocity starts to decrease immediately, but a new stationary value is attained only after about 10 s. The inhibitory effect on the propagation velocity was more pronounced in thin reactive layers than in thick ones. The experimental data were compared with computational results obtained with a modified Oregonator model.