Dynamics of particle trajectories in a Rayleigh–Bénard problem

Fluid particle trajectories for the Rayleigh–Bénard problem in a cube with perfectly conducting lateral walls have been investigated. The velocity and temperature fields of the stationary flow solutions have been obtained by means of a parameter continuation procedure based on a Galerkin spectral method. The rich dynamics of the resulting fluid particle paths has been studied for three branches of stationary solutions and different values of the Rayleigh number within the range 10 4 ⩽ Ra ⩽ 1.5 × 10 5 at a Prandtl number equal to 130. The stability properties and bifurcations of fixed points, which play a key role in the global dynamics, have been analyzed. Main periodic orbits and their stability character have also been determined. Poincaré maps reveal that regions of chaotic motion and regions of regular motion coexist inside the cavity. The boundaries of these three-dimensional regions have been determined. The metric entropy gives an indication of the mixing properties of the large chaotic zone.