Dynamic bifurcations and melting-boundary convection
Geoff Vasil
Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Canada
Date and time:
Thursday, September 29, 2011 - 4:00pm
Abstract:
In this talk, I will present a model for weakly nonlinear convection in a fluid layer with a melting top boundary. This leads to the derivation of a new set of non-autonomous envelope equations as a dynamic generalization to the well-known Ginzburg-Landau equation. However, because it involves the interaction of two destabilizing mechanisms, this new system possesses a number of interesting properties not found in systems close to a traditional dynamic bifurcation. I’ll highlight some of the properties of this system both analytically and numerically; specifically, I’ll show the robust “locking in’’ of spatially complex patterns, and show this is a general feature of systems of this nature.