Dynamics and chaotic properties of a spatially extended oil-candle array

Extensive research has been devoted to the discovery of simple media that display chaotic properties. One such simple system is a candle wick that draws flammable oil from a reservoir. By varying oil viscosity and wick material, the system exhibits refractoriness and nonlinear restitution dynamics under constant periodic re-ignition. When arranged in a grid these candles can ignite their neighbors, creating propagating fire waves that can display complex spatial dynamics. In this talk, I will discuss our experimental results of the oil-candle system in multiple geometries. Furthermore, I will discuss a simple return map we have derived based on these experimental data, from which we characterize families of system parameters associated with dynamical phenomena such as period-doubling and chaos.