Synergetics, far from equilibrium : proceedings of the Conference Far from Equilibrium : Instabilities and Structures, Bordeaux, France, September 27-29, 1978

This volume gathers most of the lectures and communications presented at the meeting t held in Bordeaux from the 27th to the 29 h of September and entitled "Far from equi­ librium : instabilities and structures". This meeting is part of a series of seve­ ral other interdisciplinary conferences such as Elmau 1972, London 1974, Dortmund 1976, Elmau 1977, Tokyo 1978. The old science classification scheme proposed by Auguste Comte tends to be eve­ ry day a bit more blurred out: one gives here, if needed, one additional illustra­ tion of this trend. The three key words "far from equilibrium", "instabilities" and "structures" best illustrate the new concepts which emerge from the description of the dynamics of various systems relevant to many different research areas. Laser emission, chemical reactions, fluid motions, exhibit very particular phenomena when, under appropriate external action,they occur far from equilibrium. These proceedings include the experimental description of such phenomena as well as theoretical at­ tempts in understanding them. Most of the topics investigated here belong to the domains of physics and chemistry but one should be careful not to underestimate the underlying potential biological interest. If the study of simple systems (e. g. , described by a few variables) has been qui­ te successful for several centuries, the recent bearing of our attention on complex systems constitutes a genuine epistemological breakthrough bridging the gap which used to exist between the sciences and the humanism. Front Matter....Pages I-X Origine et perspectives des structures dissipatives....Pages 1-11 Dissipative Structures in Chemical Systems — Theory and Experiment....Pages 12-17 Bifurcation Diagram of Model Chemical Reactions....Pages 18-21 Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions and Instability Hierarchy of the Laser, an Example from Synergetics....Pages 22-33 Mechanisms of Chemical Oscillators....Pages 34-42 Chemical Oscillations During the Oxidative Bromination of Some Aromatic Compounds with Bromate....Pages 43-46 Quantitative Study of a Chemical Oscillation....Pages 47-50 Etude cinétique de la réaction de Bray....Pages 51-56 Nonequilibrium Transitions Induced by External Noise....Pages 57-60 Experimental Evidence of Noise-Induced Transitions in an Open Chemical System....Pages 61-63 On Measures of Stability and Relative Stability in Systems with Multiple Stationary States....Pages 64-69 Stochastic Simulation of Chemical Systems Out of Equilibrium....Pages 70-74 On Membrane Potentials and Their Measurements....Pages 75-75 Measurement and Interpretation of Membrane Potentials Under Conditions Simulating the Ionic Environment of Biological Membranes....Pages 76-78 Temporal and Special Patterns in Biochemical Systems....Pages 79-79 Secondary Effects in Soret-Driven Instability....Pages 80-84 Velocity Field in the Rayleigh-Benard Instability: Transitions to Turbulence....Pages 85-93 Scaling Theory of Instability, Nonlinear Fluctuation and Formation of Macroscopic Structure....Pages 94-106 Chaos and Strange Attractors in Chemical Kinetics....Pages 107-113 The Multifaceted Family of the Nonlinear: Waves and Fields, Center Dynamics, Catastrophes, Rock Bands and Precipitation Patterns....Pages 114-127 Evolution chimique loin de l’équilibre: concepts, modeles et réel....Pages 128-146 Do Instabilities Exist in Solid-Gas Reactions?....Pages 147-151 Thermal Properties of Oscillating Reactions: Two Examples....Pages 152-155 Sur l’origine d’instabilités chimiques et hydrodynamiques observées à l’interface huile-eau....Pages 156-160 Application en cinétique électrochimique des concepts d’états stationnaires multiples et de structures dissipatives: Electrocristallisation et passivation des métaux....Pages 161-165 Conclusions and Perspectives....Pages 166-175 Back Matter....Pages 177-178 This volume gathers most of the lectures and communications presented at the meeting t held in Bordeaux from the 27th to the 29 h of September and entitled "Far from equiƯ librium : instabilities and structures". This meeting is part of a series of seveƯ ral other interdisciplinary conferences such as Elmau 1972, London 1974, Dortmund 1976, Elmau 1977, Tokyo 1978. The old science classification scheme proposed by Auguste Comte tends to be eveƯ ry day a bit more blurred out: one gives here, if needed, one additional illustraƯ tion of this trend. The three key words "far from equilibrium", "instabilities" and "structures" best illustrate the new concepts which emerge from the description of the dynamics of various systems relevant to many different research areas. Laser emission, chemical reactions, fluid motions, exhibit very particular phenomena when, under appropriate external action, they occur far from equilibrium. These proceedings include the experimental description of such phenomena as well as theoretical atƯ tempts in understanding them. Most of the topics investigated here belong to the domains of physics and chemistry but one should be careful not to underestimate the underlying potential biological interest. If the study of simple systems (e. g., described by a few variables) has been quiƯ te successful for several centuries, the recent bearing of our attention on complex systems constitutes a genuine epistemological breakthrough bridging the gap which used to exist between the sciences and the humanism