Nonlinear interactions in the density fingering of an acidity front

Density fingering of the chlorite-tetrathionate reaction has been studied experimentally in a Hele-Shaw cell. The initially emerging cellular structure transforms into a single cell with constant-asymmetric and symmetric-shape in narrow reaction vessels. The interactions of fingers in wider Hele-Shaw cells lead to the coarsening of the patterns, however, splitting of fingers is observed as well. The long time evolution has been quantitatively described by the change in the mixing length, i.e., the amplitude of the patterns, and by the power-averaged cell number of the structures. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.