Sources and holes in a one-dimensional traveling-wave convection experiment

The study of local structures, such as sources, fronts, and holes, provide a promising route to compare theory and experiment as they partially circumvent these difficulties. As such, a successful example of this approach is presented in a heated wire convection experiment. It is observed that the nontrivial change in source behavior when the driving is decreased not only the measured transition value, but also the qualitative behavior of sources is in accord with the predictions. The fluctuating sources send out holes, and it is shown that these display a behavior very similar to that predicted for homoclinic holes.