Pattern formation in spatially forced thermal convection

In this paper, we present experimental results on the interplay between two different symmetry breaking mechanisms in a pattern forming system, namely inclined layer convection (ILC) with a spatially modulated heated plate. By varying the relative strength and relative orientation, we explored in detail the interplay of these symmetry breaking mechanisms. We found a stabilization of spatio-temporal chaos and resonant interactions that led to superlattice patterns. The fundamental mechanisms observed should be equally applicable to other pattern forming systems.