Effect of finite disturbances on axisymmetric Taylor vortex flow

Taylor vortices caused by finite axisymmetric disturbances around the inner cylinder in a long apparatus with a resting outer cylinder have been studied. The forced Taylor vortices are unstable if their wavelengths are either too long or too short as compared with the critical wavelength of undisturbed Taylor vortex flow. It has also been found that axisymmetric Taylor vortices are stable to finite azimuthal disturbances over a large range in supercritical Taylor numbers in this apparatus with η=0.727.