Double Phase Slips and Bound Defect Pairs in Parametrically Driven Waves

Spatio-temporal chaos in parametrically driven waves is investigated in one and two dimensions using numerical simulations of Ginzburg-Landau equations. A regime is identified in which in one dimension the dynamics are due to double phase slips. In very small systems they are found to arise through a Hopf bifurcation off a mixed mode. In large systems they can lead to a state of localized spatio-temporal chaos, which can be understood within the framework of phase dynamics. In two dimensions the double phase slips are replaced by bound defect pairs. Our simulations indicate the possibility of an unbinding transition of these pairs, which is associated with a transition from ordered to disordered defect chaos.