Entrainment of a spatially extended nonlinear structure under selective forcing.

The response of a nonlinear state to a variable forcing periodic in space is studied in an extended dynamical system consisting of a liquid crystal layer driven to convection. Both the statics and the dynamics of the entrainment and the locking effects are analyzed. The dynamics of the evolution are controlled by topological singularities that allow a diffusion of the phase. The mechanisms involved are related to the role of the defects in systems undergoing spontaneous symmetry breakings.