METASTABLE CHAOS - TRANSITION TO SUSTAINED CHAOTIC BEHAVIOR IN THE LORENTZ MODEL

The system of equations introduced by Lorenz to model turbulent convective flow is studied here for Rayleigh numbers r somewhat smaller than the critical value required for sustained chaotic behavior. In this regime the system is found to exhibit transient chaotic behavior. Some statistical properties of this transient chaos are examined numerically. A mean decay time from chaos to steady flow is found and its dependence upon r is studied both numerically and (very close to the critical r) analytically. © 1979 Plenum Publishing Corporation.