Time and length scales in rotating Rayleigh-Benard convection
- Materials Division and Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
We report experimental results for Rayleigh-Benard convection of a fluid (CO{sub 2}) in a cylindrical cell with radius-to-height ratio 40 and rotated about a vertical axis. Near the critical rotation frequency for the Kueppers-Lortz instability and for small {epsilon}{equivalent_to}{Delta}{ital T}/{Delta}{ital T}{sub {ital c}}{minus}1, we measured the frequency {omega}{sub {ital a}} and the correlation length {xi} of the pattern dynamics. They could be fit by power laws in {epsilon} only when exponent values much smaller than those predicted from amplitude equations were used. Alternately, the predicted exponents could be retained if the threshold were shifted to negative values of {epsilon}, thus yielding finite {omega}{sub {ital a}} and {xi} at onset.
- OSTI ID:
- 69585
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 25 Vol. 74; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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