Non-equilibrium Pattern Modes Extracted from Experimental Data

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel optical method to extract and analyze the dominant dynamical modes in non-equilibrium spatio-temporal patterns, aiding in understanding and controlling instabilities in experimental fluid systems.

Contribution

It presents a new optical technique combined with ensemble analysis to identify and characterize dynamical modes in non-equilibrium patterns, linking experimental observations to theoretical instabilities.

Findings

Identified spatial structures of dominant modes in Rayleigh-Bénard convection.

Measured growth rates of the extracted modes.

Related experimental modes to theoretical instability patterns.

Abstract

We describe a method to extract from experimental data the important dynamical modes in spatio-temporal patterns in a system driven out of thermodynamic equilibrium. Using a novel optical technique for controlling fluid flow, we create an experimental ensemble of Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection patterns with nearby initial conditions close to the onset of secondary instability. An analysis of the ensemble evolution reveals the spatial structure of the dominant modes of the system as well as the corresponding growth rates. The extracted modes are related to localized versions of instabilities found in the ideal unbounded system. The approach may prove useful in describing instability in experimental systems as a step toward prediction and control.