Elliptical instability of the flow in a rotating shell

A theoretical and experimental study of the spin-over mode induced by the elliptical instability of a flow contained in a slightly deformed rotating spherical shell is presented. This geometrical configuration mimics the liquid rotating cores of planets when deformed by tides coming from neighboring gravitational bodies. Theoretical estimations for the growth rates and for the non linear amplitude saturations of the unstable mode are obtained and compared to experimental data obtained from Laser Doppler anemometry measurements. Visualizations and descriptions of the various characteristics of the instability are given as functions of the flow parameters. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.