Boundary-Induced Wavelength Selection in a One-Dimensional Pattern-Forming System
Boundary-Induced Wavelength Selection in a One-Dimensional Pattern-Forming System
Physical Review E, 54, R1048 (1996).
Samuel S. Mao and John R. de Bruyn
Department of Physics
Memorial University of Newfoundland,
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1B 3X7
Zahir A. Daya and Stephen W. Morris
Department of Physics and Erindale College
University of Toronto
60 St. George St.,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A7
We have measured the stability boundary for steady electroconvection
in thin, freely suspended liquid crystal films. As the voltage across
the film, or the film length, is varied, convective vortices are
created or destroyed at the ends of the film to keep the pattern wave
number within a stable range. The measured stability boundary lies
substantially inside the Eckhaus boundary calculated for this system.
Our results are consistent with a mechanism for boundary-induced
wavelength selection proposed by Cross et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett.
45, 898 (1980)].
PACS numbers:47.20-k,47.54+r,47.64+a
