Hiroyuki Kitahata, Junji Taguchi, Masaharu Nagayama, Tatsunari Sakurai, Yumihiko Ikura, Atsushi Osa, Yutaka Sumino, Masanobu Tanaka, Etsuro Yokoyama, Hidetoshi Miike
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A 113(29) 8164-8168 2009年7月 査読有り
We investigate a simple experimental system using candles; stable combustion is seen when a single candle burns, while oscillatory combustion is seen when three candies burn together. If we consider a set of three candles as a component oscillator, two oscillators, that is, two sets of three candles, can Couple with each other, resulting in both in-phase and antiphase synchronization depending on the distance between the two sets. The mathematical model indicates that the oscillatory combustion in a set of three candles is induced by a lack of oxygen around the burning point. Furthermore, we suggest that thermal radiation may be an essential factor of the synchronization.