Defect Chaos of Oscillating Hexagons in Rotating Convection

Abstract

Using coupled Ginzburg-Landau equations, the dynamics of hexagonal patterns with broken chiral symmetry are investigated, as they appear in rotating non-Boussinesq or surface-tension-driven convection. We find that close to the secondary Hopf bifurcation to oscillating hexagons the dynamics are well described by a single complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE) coupled to the phases of the hexagonal pattern. At the bandcenter these equations reduce to the usual CGLE and the system exhibits defect chaos. Away from the bandcenter a transition to a frozen vortex state is found.