Cessations and reversals of the large-scale circulation in turbulent thermal convection

We present an experimental study of cessations and reversals of the large-scale circulation (LSC) in turbulent thermal convection in a cylindrical cell of aspect ratio (Gamma) 1/2. It is found that cessations and reversals of the LSC occur in Gamma=1/2 geometry an order-of-magnitude more frequently than they do in Gamma=1 cells, and that after a cessation the LSC is most likely to restart in the opposite direction, i.e., reversals of the LSC are the most probable cessation events. This contrasts sharply to the finding in Gamma=1 geometry and implies that cessations in the two geometries are governed by different dynamics. It is found that the occurrence of reversals is a Poisson process and that a stronger rebound of the flow strength after a reversal or cessation leads to a longer period of stability of the LSC. Several properties of reversals and cessations in this system are found to be statistically similar to those of geomagnetic reversals. A direct measurement of the velocity field reveals that a cessation corresponds to a momentary decoherence of the LSC.