Gollub-Swinney circular Couette experiment

In turbulent fluid flow, the Gollub-Swinney circular Couette experiment helped establish the Ruelle-Takens scenario for turbulence.

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This type of experiment studies the motion of a liquid contained between two cylinders. The outer cylinder is kept fixed while the inner cylinder rotates. At low rotation rates the fluid flows uniformly. As the rotation rate increases, the fluid stratifies into a pile of “fluid donuts.” With further increases in the rotation rate, the donuts oscillate and twist and finally become turbulent.

References

• J. P. Gollub and H. L. Swinney (1975). "Onset of turbulence in a rotating fluid". Physical Review Letters 35: 927-930.