Images of labyrinthine patterns in nature and technology

R. E. Rosensweig

Scientific Consultant, 34 Gloucester Rd. Summit, New Jersey 07901, USA

Abstract
The ferrofluid labyrinthine pattern is prototypical of a diverse number of physical, chemical, and biological systems exhibiting this geometry of disorder. In numbers of cases the patterning arises from a competition between long range repulsive forces and short range attraction. This review presents a pictorial collection drawn from equilibrium and dissipative systems of fluids, solids, biology, and optics. Numerical simulations are successful in producing realistic images of certain systems. Figs 11, Table 1, Refs 28.