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Polygons on a rotating fluid surface.

Thomas R N Jansson1, Martin P Haspang, Kåre H Jensen

  • 1Physics Department, The Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby.

Physical Review Letters
|May 23, 2006
PubMed
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A novel fluid surface instability was discovered in rotating systems. The free surface spontaneously formed rotating polygons, a phenomenon previously unobserved in such fluid dynamics experiments.

Area of Science:

  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Experimental Physics

Background:

  • Fluid flows in rotating systems are known to exhibit symmetry breaking.
  • Previous studies observed rotating internal waves but not polygonal free surface shapes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the novel observation of polygonal free surface shapes in a rotating fluid system.
  • To investigate the spontaneous symmetry breaking of a fluid surface under specific rotation conditions.

Main Methods:

  • A partially filled cylindrical container with a rotating bottom plate was used.
  • Experiments were conducted with water, observing the free surface behavior at various rotation rates.

Main Results:

  • A spectacular instability of the fluid surface was observed, leading to the spontaneous formation of polygons.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Polygonal shapes with up to 6 corners were observed rotating rigidly at speeds different from the plate.
  • This polygonal surface instability occurred at higher rotation rates than those causing internal waves.

    • Conclusions:

    • The observed polygonal surface shapes represent a novel instability in rotating fluid systems.
    • The instability is speculated to be caused by azimuthal shear and triggered by plate wobbling.
    • This finding expands the known phenomena of symmetry breaking in fluid dynamics.