Bifurcations of rotating waves in rotating spherical shell convection.

The dynamics and bifurcations of convective waves in rotating and buoyancy-driven spherical Rayleigh-Bénard convection are investigated numerically. The solution branches that arise as rotating waves (RWs) are traced by means of path-following methods, by varying the Rayleigh number as a control parameter for different rotation rates. The dependence of the azimuthal drift frequency of the RWs on the Ekman and Rayleigh numbers is determined and discussed. The influence of the rotation rate on the generation and stability of secondary branches is demonstrated. Multistability is typical in the parameter range considered.

Multistability in rotating spherical shell convection.

The multiplicity of stable convection patterns in a rotating spherical fluid shell heated from the inner boundary and driven by a central gravity field is presented. These solution branches that arise as rotating waves (RWs) are traced for varying Rayleigh number while their symmetry, stability, and bifurcations are studied. At increased Rayleigh numbers all the RWs undergo transitions to modulated rotating waves (MRWs) which are classified by their spatiotemporal symmetry. The generation of a third frequency for some of the MRWs is accompanied by a further loss of symmetry. Eventually a variety of MRWs, three-frequency solutions, and chaotic saddles and attractors control the dynamics for higher Rayleigh numbers.

Convection patterns in a spherical fluid shell.

Symmetry-breaking bifurcations have been studied for convection in a nonrotating spherical shell whose outer radius is twice the inner radius, under the influence of an externally applied central force field with a radial dependence proportional to 1/r(5). This work is motivated by the GeoFlow experiment, which is performed under microgravity condition at the International Space Station where this particular central force can be generated. In order to predict the observable patterns, simulations together with path-following techniques and stability computations have been applied. Branches of axisymmetric, octahedral, and seven-cell solutions have been traced. The bifurcations producing them have been identified and their stability ranges determined. At higher Rayleigh numbers, time-periodic states with a complex spatiotemporal symmetry are found, which we call breathing patterns.

Dynamo effect in a driven helical flow.

The Roberts flow, a helical flow in the form of convectionlike rolls, is known to be capable of both kinematic and nonlinear dynamo action. We study the Roberts dynamo with particular attention being paid to the spatial structure of the generated magnetic field and its back-reaction on the flow. The dynamo bifurcation is decisively determined by the symmetry group of the problem, which is given by a subgroup of discrete transformations and a continuous translational invariance of the flow. In the bifurcation the continuous symmetry is broken while the discrete subgroup symmetry completely survives. Its actions help in understanding the spatial structures of the magnetic field and of the modified flow. In accordance with experimental observations, the magnetic field component perpendicular to the originally invariant direction is much stronger than the component in this direction. Furthermore, the magnetic field is largely concentrated in layers separating the convectionlike rolls of the flow and containing, in particular, its stagnation points, which are isolated for the modified flow while they are line filling for the original Roberts flow. The magnetic field is strongest near beta-type stagnation points, with a two-dimensional unstable and a one-dimensional stable manifold, and is weak near alpha-type stagnation points, with a two-dimensional stable and a one-dimensional unstable manifold. This contrasts with the usual picture that dynamo action is promoted at the alpha points and impeded at the beta points. Both the creation of isolated stagnation points and the concentration of strong fields at the beta points may be understood as a result of the way in which the Roberts dynamo saturates. It is also found that, while the original Roberts flow is regular, the modified flow is chaotic in the layers between the convectionlike rolls where the magnetic field is concentrated. This chaoticity, which results from the back-reaction of the magnetic field on the flow, appears to merely enhance magnetic diffusion rather than to strengthen the dynamo effect.

Collective phase locked states in a chain of coupled chaotic oscillators.

We discuss the emergence of a collective phase locked state in an open chain of N unidirectionally weakly coupled nonidentical chaotic oscillators. Such a regime is characterized by a Lyapunov spectrum where N-1 exponents that were zero in the uncoupled regime assume negative values as the coupling strength increases. The dynamics of such collective state is studied, and a comparison is drawn with the case of phase synchronization of a pair of coupled chaotic oscillators. In particular, it is shown that a full phase synchronized state cannot be constructed without at least partial correlation in the chaotic amplitudes.

Pattern formation in rayleigh-Benard convection in a cylindrical container

We report on numerical investigations of pattern formation in the classical Rayleigh-Benard convection with cylindrical geometry in the regime of low Prandtl numbers and moderate aspect ratio. Beyond the onset of convection, we found straight and bent rolls as stable patterns. By increasing the Rayleigh number, we studied the generation of defects, their dynamics in the form of climbing and gliding, the existence of stable targets and spirals as well as the occurrence of core instabilities, a variety of pattern types that were also observed in experiments.