Reemergent Order of Chaotic Circular Couette Flow

Abstract

Measurements of the fluctuations in local velocity in fluid motion between a rotating inner cylinder and a fixed outer cylinder are reported for rotation rates up to $67R_c$, where $R_c$ is the critical Reynolds number for Taylor instability. The Reynolds number $R_t$ for which the transition from periodic or quasiperiodic to aperiodic flow occurs depends strongly on aspect ratio ($\Gamma =\mathrm{fluid}\mathrm{height}/\mathrm{gap}$): $R_t\simeq 22R_c$ for $\Gamma =20\mathrm{}$; $R_t\simeq 26R_c$ for $\Gamma =80\mathrm{}$. For $\Gamma \gtrsim 25$ a sharp periodic component reemerges in the power spectrum for $28R_c\lesssim R\lesssim 36R_c$.