Liquid film coating a fiber as a model system for the formation of bound states in active dispersive-dissipative nonlinear media.

We analyze the coherent-structure interaction and the formation of bound states in active dispersive-dissipative nonlinear media using a viscous film coating a vertical fiber as a prototype. The coherent structures in this case are droplike pulses that dominate the evolution of the film. We study experimentally the interaction dynamics and show evidence for formation of bound states. A theoretical explanation is provided through a coherent-structures theory of a simple model for the flow.