The birth of defects in pattern formation: Testing of the Kibble–Zurek mechanism S. Casado, W. González-Viñas, S. Boccaletti, P. L. Ramazza and H. Mancini Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics, 146 (2007) 87-98 Published online: 05 July 2007 DOI: 10.1140/epjst/e2007-00171-2