The tris(2,2‘-bipyridine)ruthenium(II)-catalyzed
minimal bromate oscillator under flow conditions was found
to exhibit various dynamical responses to the pulsed-light perturbation
in the visible region. The system in
its reduced steady state exhibits excitability with a threshold in the
applied light-pulse energy, while the
oxidized steady state does not respond to the light pulse. The
latter exhibits, however, a slow response
without a threshold to the negative light pulse. The system in its
oscillatory state exhibits a phase shift of
oscillations upon application of a pulsed-light perturbation. The
oscillation phase is mostly advanced or
unaffected, depending on the phase of application of the light pulse,
although a narrow region of phase delay
has also been found in between. A phase portrait spanned by the
redox potential and the bromide ion-selective electrode potential has been determined experimentally on the
basis of which the system dynamics
is discussed in detail. All these results suggest the importance
of the photoproduction of extra HBrO2 upon
pulsed-light illumination to induce the autocatalytic process that
forces the system to experience a single turn
along the limit cycle. A numerical calculation based on the
Noyes−Field−Thompson model has supported
the proposed features, demonstrating that the pulsed addition of
HBrO2 reduces the concentration of
Br-
quickly. When it is reduced below a certain threshold value, the
autocatalytic growth of HBrO2, as well as
of the catalyst in its oxidized form, is initiated to exhibit the
response corresponding to the observation.