Critical dynamics at a Hopf bifurcation to oscillatory Rayleigh-Benard convection

Journal Article · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.33.1870· OSTI ID:6058708

Ecke, R E; Haucke, H; Maeno, Y; Wheatley, J C

The steady-state and dynamic properties of the transition to oscillatory convection in a low-Prandtl-number fluid, dilute /sup 3/He in superfluid /sup 4/He, are presented. Critical slowing down is observed and characterized by a phenomenological Landau-Hopf equation in analogy with equilibrium mean-field critical phenomena. In contrast to the onset of classical time-independent Rayleigh-Benard convection, where appreciable rounding is typically observed, there is no measurable rounding at the oscillatory onset down to a reduced Rayleigh number of 3 x 10/sup -4/. Possible reasons for this are discussed. Different functional singularities are observed for the rms amplitudes of the fundamental and first harmonic spectral components of the oscillation. Finally, the Prandtl-number dependence of the parameters of the dynamics is presented.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of California, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
• OSTI ID: 6058708
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. A; (United States) Vol. 33:3; ISSN PLRAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CONVECTION
CORRELATIONS
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUIDS
HEAT TRANSFER
HELIUM 3
HELIUM 4
HELIUM II
HELIUM ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MIXTURES
NUCLEI
ORDER-DISORDER TRANSFORMATIONS
OSCILLATIONS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PRANDTL NUMBER
QUANTUM FLUIDS
SOLUTIONS
STABLE ISOTOPES