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The heart beats due to the synchronized contraction of cardiomyocytes triggered by a periodic sequence of electrical signals called action potentials, which originate in the sinoatrial node and spread through the heart's electrical system. A large body of work is devoted to modeling the propagation of the action potential and to reproducing reliably its shape and duration. Connection of computational modeling of cells to macroscopic phenomenological curves such as the electrocardiogram has been also intense, due to its clinical importancce in analyzing cardiovascular diseases. In this work we simulate the dynamics of action potential propagation using the three-variable Fenton-Karma model that can account for both normal and damaged cells through spatially inhomogeneous voltage diffusion coefficient. We monitor the action potential propagation in the cardiac tissue and calculate the pseudo-electrocardiogram that reproduces the R and T waves. The R wave amplitude varies according to a double exponential law as a function of the (spatially homogeneous, for an isotropic tissue) diffusion coefficient. The addition of spatial inhomogeneity in the diffusion coefficient by means of a defected region representing damaged cardiac cells, may result in T-wave inversion in the calculated pseudo-electrocardiogram. The transition from positive to negative polarity of the T-wave is analyzed as a function of the length and the depth of the defected region., Comment: 12 pages, figures, 39 references

Artificial intelligence in the form of deep learning is now very popular and directly implemented in many areas of science and technology. In the present work we study time evolution of Discrete Breathers in one-dimensional nonlinear chains using the framework of Convolutional Neural Networks. We focus on differentiating discrete breathers which are localized nonlinear modes from linearized phonon modes. The breathers are localized in space and time-periodic solutions of non-linear discrete lattices while phonons are the linear collective oscillations of interacting atoms and molecules. We show that deep learning neural networks are indeed able not only to distinguish breather from phonon modes but also determine with high accuracy the underlying nonlinear on-site potentials that generate breathers. This work can have extensions to more complex natural systems.

Planar and linear arrays of SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices), operate as nonlinear magnetic metamaterials in microwaves. Such {\em SQUID metamaterials} are paradigmatic systems that serve as a test-bed for simulating several nonlinear dynamics phenomena. SQUIDs are highly nonlinear oscillators which are coupled together through magnetic dipole-dipole forces due to their mutual inductance; that coupling falls-off approximately as the inverse cube of their distance, i.~e., it is non-local. However, it can be approximated by a local (nearest-neighbor) coupling which in many cases suffices for capturing the essentials of the dynamics of SQUID metamaterials. For either type of coupling, it is numerically demonstrated that chimera states as well as other spatially non-uniform states can be generated in SQUID metamaterials under time-dependent applied magnetic flux for appropriately chosen initial conditions. The mechanism for the emergence of these states is discussed in terms of the multistability property of the individual SQUIDs around their resonance frequency and the attractor crowding effect in systems of coupled nonlinear oscillators. Interestingly, generation and control of chimera states in SQUID metamaterials can be achieved in the presence of a constant (dc) flux gradient with the SQUID metamaterial initially at rest., Comment: 15 PAGES, 14 FIGURES, submitted to Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics

SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) metamaterials, subject to a time-independent (dc) flux gradient and driven by a sinusoidal (ac) flux field, support chimera states that can be generated with zero initial conditions. The dc flux gradient and the amplitude of the ac flux can control the number of desynchronized clusters of such a generated chimera state (i.e., its `heads') as well as their location and size. The combination of three measures, i.e., the synchronization parameter averaged over the period of the driving flux, the incoherence index, and the chimera index, is used to predict the generation of a chimera state and its multiplicity on the parameter plane of the dc flux gradient and the ac flux amplitude. Moreover, the full-width half-maximum of the distribution of the values of the synchronization parameter averaged over the period of the ac driving flux, allows to distinguish chimera states from non-chimera, partially synchronized states., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical Review E

Graphene as well as more generally Dirac solids constitute two dimensional materials where the electronic flow is ultra relativistic. When a Dirac solid is deposited on a different substrate surface with roughness, a local random potential develops through an inhomogeneous charge impurity distribution. This external potential affects profoundly the charge flow and induces a chaotic pattern of current branches that develops through focusing and defocusing effects produced by the randomness of the surface. An additional bias voltage may be used to tune the branching pattern of the charge carrier currents. We employ analytical and numerical techniques in order to investigate the onset and the statistical properties of carrier branches in Dirac solids. We find a specific scaling-type relationship that connects the physical scale for the occurrence of branches with the characteristic medium properties, such as disorder and bias field. We use numerics to test and verify the theoretical prediction as well as a perturbative approach that gives a clear indication of the regime of validity of the approach. This work is relevant to device applications and may be tested experimentally.

Metamaterials (MMs), i.e. artificial media designed to achieve properties not available in natural materials, have been the focus of intense research during the last two decades. Many properties have been discovered and multiple designs have been devised that lead to multiple conceptual and practical applications. Superconducting MMs have the advantage of ultra low losses, a highly desirable feature. The additional use of the Josephson effect and SQUID configurations produce further specificity and functionality. SQUID-based MMs are both theoretically investigated but also fabricated and analyzed experimentally in many labs and exciting new phenomena have been found both in the classical and quantum realms. The SQUID is a unique nonlinear oscillator that can be manipulated through multiple external means. This flexibility is inherited to SQUID-based MMs, i.e. extended units that contain a large arrangement of SQUIDs. Such an assembly of weakly coupled nonlinear oscillators presents a nonlinear dynamics laboratory where numerous complex spatio-temporal phenomena may be explored. We focus primarily on SQUID-based MMs and present basic properties related to their individual and collective responses to external drives. We start by showing how a SQUID-based system acts as a genuine MM, demonstrate that the Josephson nonlinearity leads to wide-band tunability, intrinsic nonlinear as well as flat band localization. We explore further properties such as multistability and self-organization and the emergence of chimera states. We then dwell into the truly quantum regime and explore the interaction of electromagnetic pulses with superconducting qubits where the coupling between the two yields self-induced transparency and superradiance. We thus attempt to present the rich behavior of coupled superconducting units and point to their basic properties and practical utility., Comment: review article, to appear in Physics Reports: 84 pages, 36 figures, 350 references

A SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) metamaterial on a Lieb lattice with nearest-neighbor coupling supports simultaneously stable dissipative breather families which are generated through a delicate balance of input power and intrinsic losses. Breather multistability is possible due to the peculiar snaking flux ampitude - frequency curve of single dissipative-driven SQUIDs, which for relatively high sinusoidal flux field amplitudes exhibits several stable and unstable solutions in a narrow frequency band around resonance. These breathers are very weakly interacting with each other, while multistability regimes with different number of simultaneously stable breathers persist for substantial intervals of frequency, flux field amplitude, and coupling coefficients. Moreover, the emergence of chimera states as well as novel temporally chaotic states exhibiting spatial homogeneity within each sublattice of the Lieb lattice is demonstrated., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Physical Review E

The dynamics of a large array of coupled semiconductor lasers is studied for a nonlocal coupling scheme. Our focus is on chimera states, a self-organized spatio-temporal pattern of co-existing coherence and incoherence. In laser systems, such states have been previously found for global and nearest-neighbor coupling, mainly in small networks. The technological advantage of large arrays has motivated us to study a system of 200 nonlocally coupled lasers with respect to the emerging collective dynamics. The crucial parameters are the coupling strength, the coupling phase and the range of the nonlocal interaction. We find that chimera states with multiple (in)coherent domains exist in a wide region of the parameter space. We provide quantitative characterization for the obtained chimeras and other spatio-temporal patterns.

The dynamic equations for the fluxes through the SQUIDs that form a two-dimensional metamamaterial on a Lieb lattice are derived, and then linearized around zero flux to obtain the linear frequency spectrum according to the standard procedure. That spectrum, due to the Lieb lattice geometry, possesses a frequency band structure exhibiting two characteristic features; two dispersive bands, which form a Dirac cone at the corners of the first Brillouin zone, and a flat band crossing the Dirac points. It is demonstrated numerically that localized states can be excited in the system when it is initialized with single-site excitations; depending on the amplitude of those initial states, the localization is either due to the flat-band or to nonlinear effects. Flat-band localized states are formed in the nearly linear regime, while localized excitations of the discrete breather type are formed in the nonlinear regime. These two regimes are separated by an intermediate turbulent regime for which no localization is observed. Notably, initial single-site excitations of only edge SQUIDs of a unit cell may end-up in flat-band localized states; no such states are formed for initial single-site excitations of a corner SQUID of a unit cell. The degree of localization of the resulting states is in any case quantified using well-established measures such as the energetic participation ratio and the second moment., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures

A one dimensional, parity-time (${\cal PT}$)-symmetric magnetic metamaterial comprising split-ring resonators having both gain and loss is investigated. In the linear regime, the transition from the exact to the broken ${\cal PT}$-phase is determined through the calculation of the eigenfrequency spectrum for two different configurations; the one with equidistant split-rings and the other with the split-rings forming a binary pattern (${\cal PT}$ dimer chain). The latter system features a two-band, gapped spectrum with its shape determined by the gain/loss coefficient as well as the inter-element coupling. In the presense of nonlinearity, the ${\cal PT}$ dimer chain with balanced gain and loss supports nonlinear localized modes in the form of novel discrete breathers below the lower branch of the linear spectrum. These breathers, that can be excited from a weak applied magnetic field by frequency chirping, can be subsequently driven solely by the gain for very long times. The effect of a small imbalance between gain and loss is also considered. Fundamendal gain-driven breathers occupy both sites of a dimer, while their energy is almost equally partitioned between the two split-rings, the one with gain and the other with loss. We also introduce a model equation for the investigation of classical ${\cal PT}$ symmetry in zero dimensions, realized by a simple harmonic oscillator with matched time-dependent gain and loss that exhibits a transition from oscillatory to diverging motion. This behaviour is similar to a transition from the exact to the broken ${\cal PT}$ phase in higher-dimensional ${\cal PT}-$ symmetric systems. A stability condition relating the parameters of the problem is obtained in the case of piecewise constant gain/loss function that allows for the construction of a phase diagram with alternating stable and unstable regions., Comment: 10 pages, 11 figs, subm. to Applied Physics A for the Proceedings of the META13 Conference

We introduce a one dimensional parity-time (PT)-symmetric nonlinear magnetic metamaterial consisted of split ring dimers having both gain and loss. When nonlinearity is absent we find a transition between an exact to a broken PT-phase; in the former the system features a two band gapped spectrum with shape determined by the gain and loss coefficients as well as the inter-unit coupling. In the presence of nonlinearity we show numerically that as a result of the gain/dissipation matching a novel type of long-lived stable discrete breathers can form below the lower branch of the band with no attenuation. In these localized modes the energy is almost equally partitioned between two adjacent split rings on the one with gain and the other one with loss., Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures

We investigate the dynamics of the discrete nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation in fully connected networks. For a localized initial condition the exact solution shows the existence of two dynamical transitions as a function of the nonlinearity parameter, a hyperbolic and a trigonometric one. In the latter the network behaves exactly as the corresponding linear one but with a renormalized frequency., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures

We study theoretically the existence of bulk and surface discrete breathers in a one-dimensional magnetic metamaterial comprised of a periodic binary array of split-ring resonators. The two types of resonators differ in the size of their slits and this leads to different resonant frequencies. In the framework of the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) we construct several types of breather excitations for both the energy-conserved and the dissipative-driven systems by continuation of trivial breather solutions from the anticontinuous limit to finite couplings. Numerically-exact computations that integrate the full model equations confirm the quality of the RWA results. Moreover, it is demonstrated that discrete breathers can spontaneously appear in the dissipative-driven system as a results of a fundamental instability., Comment: 10 pages, 16 figures

We perform statistical analysis on discrete nonlinear waves generated though modulational instability in the context of the Salerno model that interpolates between the intergable Ablowitz-Ladik (AL) equation and the nonintegrable discrete nonlinear Schrodinger (DNLS) equation. We focus on extreme events in the form of discrete rogue or freak waves that may arise as a result of rapid coalescence of discrete breathers or other nonlinear interaction processes. We find power law dependence in the wave amplitude distribution accompanied by an enhanced probability for freak events close to the integrable limit of the equation. A characteristic peak in the extreme event probability appears that is attributed to the onset of interaction of the discrete solitons of the AL equation and the accompanied transition from the local to the global stochasticity monitored through the positive Lyapunov exponent of a nonlinear map., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; reference added, figure 2 corrected

The existence and stability of dissipative discrete breathers (DDBs) in rf superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) arrays in both one and two dimensions is investigated numerically. In an rf SQUID array, the nonlinearity which is intrinsic to each SQUID due to the presence of the Josephson junction (on-site nonlinearity), along with the weak coupling of each SQUID to its nearest neighbors through magnetic forces, result in the appearance of discrete breathers. We analyze several discrete breather excitations, both in one and two dimensions, which are subjected to unavoidable losses. These losses, however, are counter-balanced by an external flux source leading to linearly stable discrete breather structures up to relatively large coupling parameters. We show that DDB excitations may locally alter the magnetic response of array from paramagnetic to diamagnetic or vice versa, and that they are not destroyed by increasing the dimensionality., Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Nonlinear Phenomena in Complex Systems

Magnetic metamaterials composed of split-ring resonators or $U-$type elements may exhibit discreteness effects in THz and optical frequencies due to weak coupling. We consider a model one-dimensional metamaterial formed by a discrete array of nonlinear split-ring resonators with each ring interacting with its nearest neighbours. On-site nonlinearity and weak coupling among the individual array elements result in the appearence of discrete breather excitations or intrinsic localized modes, both in the energy-conserved and the dissipative system. We analyze discrete single and multibreather excitations, as well as a special breather configuration forming a magnetization domain wall and investigate their mobility and the magnetic properties their presence induces in the system., Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, Physical Review Letters, accepted

For an isotropic and homogeneous nonlinear left-handed materials, for which the effective medium approximation is valid, Maxwell's equations for electric and magnetic fields lead naturally, within the slowly varying envelope approximation, to a system of coupled nonlinear Schroedinger equations. This system is equivalent to the well-known Manakov model that under certain conditions, is completely integrable and admits bright and dark soliton solutions. It is demonstrated that left- and right-handed (normal) nonlinear mediums may have compound bright and dark soliton solutions, respectively. These results are also supported by numerical calculations., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by Physical Review E (in production)

Chains of parametrically driven, damped pendula are known to support soliton-like clusters of in-phase motion which become unstable and seed spatiotemporal chaos for sufficiently large driving amplitudes. We show that the pinning of the soliton on a "long" impurity (a longer pendulum) expands dramatically its stability region whereas "short" defects simply repel solitons producing effective partition of the chain. We also show that defects may spontaneously nucleate solitons., Comment: 4 pages in RevTeX; 7 figures in ps format

We study the dynamics of the discrete nonlinear Schr{\"o}dinger lattice initialized such that a very long transitory period of time in which standard Boltzmann statistics is insufficient is reached. Our study of the nonlinear system locked in this {\em non-Gibbsian} state focuses on the dynamics of discrete breathers (also called intrinsic localized modes). It is found that part of the energy spontaneously condenses into several discrete breathers. Although these discrete breathers are extremely long lived, their total number is found to decrease as the evolution progresses. Even though the total number of discrete breathers decreases we report the surprising observation that the energy content in the discrete breather population increases. We interpret these observations in the perspective of discrete breather creation and annihilation and find that the death of a discrete breather cause effective energy transfer to a spatially nearby discrete breather. It is found that the concepts of a multi-frequency discrete breather and of internal modes is crucial for this process. Finally, we find that the existence of a discrete breather tends to soften the lattice in its immediate neighborhood, resulting in high amplitude thermal fluctuation close to an existing discrete breather. This in turn nucleates discrete breather creation close to a already existing discrete breather.