arXiv · 0708.1446
Capillary wave turbulence on a spherical fluid surface in low gravity
Abstract
We report the observation of capillary wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid layer in a low-gravity environment. In such conditions, the fluid covers all the internal surface of the spherical container which is submitted to random forcing. The surface wave amplitude displays power-law spectrum over two decades in frequency, corresponding to wavelength from $mm$ to a few $cm$. This spectrum is found in roughly good agreement with wave turbulence theory. Such a large scale observation without gravity waves has never been reached during ground experiments. When the forcing is periodic, two-dimensional spherical patterns are observed on the fluid surface such as subharmonic stripes or hexagons with wavelength satisfying the capillary wave dispersion relation.
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Claudio Falcon, Eric Falcon, Umberto Bortolozzo, Stéphan Fauve. 2009-02-09. Capillary wave turbulence on a spherical fluid surface in low gravity. https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075%2F86%2F14002
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