Photoexcited chemical wave in the ruthenium-catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction.

The excitation of the photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction induced by light stimulation was systematically investigated. A stepwise increase in the light intensity induced the excitation, whereas a stepwise decrease did not induce the excitation. The threshold values for the excitation were found to be a function of the initial and final light intensities, time variation in light intensity, and the concentration of NaBrO(3). The experimental results were qualitatively reproduced by a theoretical calculation based on a three-variable Oregonator model modified for the photosensitive BZ reaction. These results suggest that although the steady light irradiation is known to inhibit oscillation and chemical waves in the BZ system under almost all conditions, the stepwise increase in the light irradiation leads to the rapid production of an activator, resulting in the photoexcitation.