Phase Dynamics

Abstract

In the previous two chapters, we considered several different types of nonequilibrium dissipative fields. There, the physical point of view defined by the statement, “Slow degrees of freedom govern the dynamics of the system,” was extremely effective. In Chap. 2, the weakly unstable mode in the neighborhood of the bifurcation point served as the slow degree of freedom, while in Chap. 3 this was the concentration of the inhibiting substance present. An important slow mode that emerges in conjunction with pattern dynamics is the phase degree of freedom. In this chapter, utilizing this fact, we outline a phenomenological theory consisting of a reduction method, known as phase dynamics. We then apply this theory to several concrete examples.