Anomalous dispersion and pulse interaction in an excitable surface reaction

Experiments on the catalytic reduction of NO with CO on a Pt(100) surface r eveal attractive interaction between pulses leading to the eventual merging of two pulses to a single one. The results can be reproduced with a realis tic reaction-diffusion model which yields a negative slope in the dispersio n relation over a large range of the interpulse distance.[S0031-9007(99)084 76-8].