Pattern formation in inclined layer convection

Abstract

We report experiments on thermally driven convection in an inclined layer of large aspect ratio in a fluid of Prandtl number $\sigma \approx 1$. We observed a number of new nonlinear, mostly spatio-temporally chaotic, states. At small angles of inclination we found longitudinal rolls, subharmonic oscillations, Busse oscillations, undulation chaos, and crawling rolls. At larger angles, in the vicinity of the transition from buoyancy- to shear-driven instability, we observed drifting transverse rolls, localized bursts, and drifting bimodals. For angles past vertical, when heated from above, we found drifting transverse rolls and switching diamond panes.