Complexity in Faraday experiment with viscoelastic fluid

Abstract

A systematic experimental study of the Faraday instability in viscoelastic fluid is presented. We have used a shear thinning polymer solution in which the elastic effects are predominant within our work range. We have analyzed the dependence of the threshold instability as a function of the depth in layer. Depending on the fluid layer depth and the driving frequency, harmonic or subharmonic regimes are developed. We have focused our work on the subharmonic region and temporal and spatial behaviors were analyzed. In addition, we have used the onset acceleration to estimate the rheological properties of the fluid. These predictions are supported by experimental measurements.