title: Multistability and memory effect in a highly turbulent flow: experimental evidence for a global bifurcation.
abstract: We report experimental evidence of a global bifurcation on a highly turbulent von Kármán flow. The mean flow presents multiple solutions: the canonical symmetric solution becomes marginally unstable towards a flow which breaks the basic symmetry of the driving apparatus even at very large Reynolds numbers. The global bifurcation between these states is highly subcritical and the system thus keeps a memory of its history. The transition recalls low-dimension dynamical system transitions and exhibits very peculiar statistics. We discuss the role of turbulence in two ways: the multiplicity of hydrodynamical solutions and the effect of fluctuations on the nature of transitions.
authors.affiliation: Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé, DSM, CEA Saclay, CNRS URA 2464, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Florent
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ravelet
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marié
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiffaudel
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Daviaud