We present experimental observations on the electrically forced release of spiral waves pinned to unexcitable circular obstacles in the Belosov-Zhabotinsky reaction. When the applied electric current density reaches the necessary current density J(unpin), the spiral tip is detached and subsequently drifts away from the obstacle. J(unpin) is found to increase with the obstacle diameter d. The growth rate ΔJ(unpin)/Δd is much higher for obstacles larger than the free spiral core compared to that for smaller obstacles. The experimental findings are confirmed by numerical simulations using the Oregonator model. The results imply that it is more difficult to release spiral waves pinned to larger obstacles, especially when the obstacle size exceeds that of the free spiral core.

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We present an investigation of spiral waves pinned to circular and rectangular obstacles with different circumferences in both thin layers of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction and numerical simulations with the Oregonator model. For circular objects, the area always increases with the circumference. In contrast, we varied the circumference of rectangles with equal areas by adjusting their width w and height h. For both obstacle forms, the propagating parameters (i.e., wavelength, wave period, and velocity of pinned spiral waves) increase with the circumference, regardless of the obstacle area. Despite these common features of the parameters, the forms of pinned spiral waves depend on the obstacle shapes. The structures of spiral waves pinned to circles as well as rectangles with the ratio w/h∼1 are similar to Archimedean spirals. When w/h increases, deformations of the spiral shapes are observed. For extremely thin rectangles with w/h≫1, these shapes can be constructed by employing semicircles with different radii which relate to the obstacle width and the core diameter of free spirals.