Control of the composite spiral waves: Noise can alter the structure of composite spiral waves and facilitate transitions between composite and classic spiral waves

Spiral waves are ubiquitous structures in a broad spectrum of natural and engineering systems, and effective control of spiral wave architectures carries both theoretical significance and potential application value. This study investigates the impact of noise on the composite spiral wave (CSW) dynamics and their structural transitions to classical spiral waves. Using a discrete spatiotemporal predator–prey reaction–diffusion model, we demonstrate that noise critically regulates the CSW structure through dual-threshold phase transitions. Numerical simulations and theoretical analyses reveal that when noise intensity exceeds critical thresholds, discontinuous first-order transitions occur: first altering the size of the small spiral wave (SSW) region, then driving global expansion into classical spiral waves. Mechanistically, noise induces local state mutations and modifies boundary propagation velocities, enabling chiral inversion of wave patterns. The system exhibits resilience, spontaneously recovering CSW structures upon noise removal. These findings establish noise as a potent tool for controlling nonlinear wave structures, with implications for cardiac arrhythmia mitigation and programmable metamaterial design.