Observation of star-shapes surface gravity waves.
Abstract
We report a new type of standing gravity waves of large amplitude, having alternatively the shape of a star and of a polygon. This wave is observed by means of a laboratory experiment by vibrating vertically a tank. The symmetry of the star (i.e. the number of branches) is independent of the container form and size, and can be changed according to the amplitude and frequency of the vibration. We show that a nonlinearresonant coupling between three gravity waves can be envisaged to trigger the observed symmetry breaking, although more complex interactions take certainly place in the final periodic state.
Origin : Files produced by the author(s)