Pattern formation in Rayleigh-Bénard convection: Numerical simulation with a coupled-map-lattice model

Pattern formation in Rayleigh-Bénard convection: numerical simulation with a coupled-map-lattice model

The various patterns formed in Rayleigh-Bénard convection under different conditions are numerically simulated with a coupled-map-lattice model. In the case of a lower aspect ratio (L/d=5), the simulations vividly depicted the main features of the transition process from a laminar state to a soft turbulence and then to a hard turbulence. In this case, the cellular structure in a horizontal section is also reproduced. In the case of a larger aspect ratio (L/d=30), the simulations successfully reproduced the spiral-defect chaos and target chaos in the initial stage of the pattern evolution which were recently found in experiments. In this case, for a fluid ofPr=1, it is verified in simulations that both the ideal straight rolls and spiral-defect chaos are stable attractors in the same parameter regime, and that the initial condition is a decisive factor for which one of the two is formed. In the same case, for a fluid ofPr=4, the target patterns are dominant instead of the spirals, the sizes and distributions of the target are also notably dependent on the initial condition.