Rayleigh-Bénard Convection


Experimental results for a thin layer of fluid heated from below. Visualization by shadowgraph. Shown is top view onto the experimental dish.

For weak heating (close to onset): rolls and hexagons


(inclined layer, traveling rolls)




Quantitative characterization of the transition: heat transport

(Li and Ahlers, PRE 55 (1997) 6950)

More complicated structures: spirals




Movie of Spiral

Disordered patterns: spiral-defect chaos

Movie of spiral-defect chaos>

Movie of spiral-defect chaos





Coexistence of spiral-defect chaos and straight rolls

(pictures and movie taken from ©Nonlinear Phenomena Group,LASSP,Cornell University, 9/99)