An experimental study of Faraday waves formed on the interface between two immiscible liquids

We report results of an experimental study of Faraday waves that were formed on the interface between two immiscible liquids in a cylindrical cell when it was oscillated vertically. The effects of the volume filling ratio psi on the bifurcation set associated with the onset of the fundamental axisymmetric mode was investigated systematically. In particular, results are presented for the subharmonic regime of the control parameter space where the response was greatest. Both super- and subcritical bifurcations are uncovered, with hysteresis in the latter case. The extent of the hysteresis is observed to strongly depend on psi, suggesting that nonlinear damping effects are influenced by this parameter. At large drive amplitudes, a precessional periodic motion was found to develop via a Hopf bifurcation. This mode was observed to disappear catastrophically at an excitation frequency equal to 1.853+/-0.006 times the natural frequency of the resonant mode. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.