Investigation of laser ablated plumes using fast photography.
The growth of basal solid released plumes of compositionally depleted fluid from the floor.
The transition is typically associated with intermittent bursts, which may involve spatially modulated oscillations and merging or splitting of individual plumes.
At any instant the spatial pattern is irregular and video sequences show that individual plumes grow, decay and disappear aperiodically.
Owing to the stratification these plumes expand rapidly as they impinge upon the upper boundary.
They are again disposed on an irregular hexagonal lattice but the number of plumes is different and there is no reflection symmetry.
Even on the vertical wall in figures 8(d) and 9(d), only a few plumes penetrate.
In the corners themselves are plumes of the same sign as in the centre.