Polygons on a Rotating Fluid Surface

Details Polygons on a Rotating Fluid Surface Polygons on a Rotating Fluid Surface

2005-11-30

arxiv.org/abs/physics/0511251v1

Physics

Fluid Dynamics

Scientific paper

10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.174502

We report a novel and spectacular instability of a fluid surface in a rotating system. In a flow driven by rotating the bottom plate of a partially filled, stationary cylindrical container, the shape of the free surface can spontaneously break the axial symmetry and assume the form of a polygon rotating rigidly with a speed different from that of the plate. With water we have observed polygons with up to 6 corners. It has been known for many years that such flows are prone to symmetry breaking, but apparently the polygonal surface shapes have never been observed. The creation of rotating internal waves in a similar setup was observed for much lower rotation rates, where the free surface remains essentially flat. We speculate that the instability is caused by the strong azimuthal shear due to the stationary walls and that it is triggered by minute wobbling of the rotating plate. The slight asymmetry induces a tendency for mode-locking between the plate and the polygon, where the polygon rotates by one corner for each complete rotation of the plate.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Polygons on a Rotating Fluid Surface does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Polygons on a Rotating Fluid Surface, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Polygons on a Rotating Fluid Surface will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-430477