TAYLOR VORTICES IN WIDE SPHERICAL-SHELLS

It was believed that no Taylor vortices would exist in wide spherical shells with an aspect ratio of beta > 0.24. In contrast, we have exper imentally generated Taylor vortices in a relatively wide spherical she ll with beta = 0.33 using some special initial conditions. It is found that the Taylor vortices remain very stable in a range of the Reynold s number 467 < Re < 2100, once they are established, in which, normall y, the axisymmetric basic state (spherical Couette flow) is preferred. Furthermore, it is interesting that with increasing Reynolds number t he Taylor vortices become asymmetric with respect to the equatorial pl ane.