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The European Physical Journal B
ISSN: 1434-6028 (printed version)
ISSN: 1434-6036 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 5 Issue 3 (1998) pp 757-770
Pattern formation in an inhomogeneous environment
W. Zimmermann (1)(2) (a), B. Painter (3), R. Behringer (3)
(1) Institut für Festkörperforschung and FORUM Modellierung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
(2) Max-Planck-Institute for Physics of Complex Systems, 01187 Dresden, Germany
(3) Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Science and Complex Systems Duke University, Durham NC, 27708-0305, USA
Received: 24 February 1998 / Revised: 19 May 1998 / Accepted: 23 June 1998
Abstract: A major step in understanding pattern formation has been achieved by studying idealized systems. However, in nature inhomogeneous systems are much more abundant than their idealized homogeneous counterparts. Here we report about experimental results on pattern formation in two inhomogeneous systems, thermal convection in porous media and Taylor-vortex flow between a rough and a smooth cylinder. Several aspects of heterogeneity effects in pattern formation are theoretically investigated for model equations and analytical descriptions are given for a few phenomena.
PACS. 47.20.-k Hydrodynamic stability - 47.54.+r Pattern selection; pattern formation - 71.55.-i Impurity and defect levels
(a) Present address: Theoretische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, 66041 Saarbücken, Germany. email: w.zimmermann@kfa-juelich.de
Article in PDF format (2551 KB)
Online publication: October 26, 1998
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