Journal of Statistical Physics, Vol. 64, Nos. 5/6, 1991. p. 945-960.
"Dispersive chaos" refers to a dynamical state in which repetitive pulsing caused by strong nonlinear dispersion produces continuously erratic spatiotemporal behavior. We have observed this behavior in experiments on one-dimensional traveling-wave convection in an annular container. Based on measured physical parameters, this system can be modeled by a complex Ginzburg-Landau equation in the limit of strong nonlinear dispersion. The experimental observations are reminiscent of numerical simulations in this limit.