Traveling-wave convection in an annulus

We report experimental observations of traveling-wave convection in a binary fluid mixture in an annular container---a flow which approximates a large, one-dimensional dynamical system. In this geometry, the convective rolls align themselves radially and propagate azimuthally. We observe competition between several non- equilibrium states. This leads to a rich variety of dynamical behavior, including coexisting regions of conduction and convection, sources and sinks of convective rolls, and more complex spatiotemporal defects.