Sequential bifurcations in sheared annular electroconvection.
A sequence of bifurcations is studied in a one-dimensional pattern forming system subject to the variation of two experimental control parameters: a dimensionless electrical forcing number R and a shear Reynolds number Re. The pattern is an azimuthally periodic array of traveling vortices with integer mode number m. Varying R and Re permits the passage through several codimension-two (CoD2) points. We find that the coefficients of the nonlinear terms in a generic Landau equation for the primary bifurcation are discontinuous at the CoD2 points. Further, we map the stability boundaries in the space of the two parameters by studying the subcritical secondary bifurcations in which m-->m+1 when R is increased at constant Re.
Daya
Zahir A
ZA
Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A7.
Deyirmenjian
V B
VB
Morris
Stephen W
SW