HYSTERESIS, PERIOD DOUBLING, AND INTERMITTENCY AT HIGH PRANDTL NUMBER IN THE LORENZ EQUATIONS.

The authors analyse a recently derived difference equation for the Lorenz equations, and thereby predict previously observed phenomena of period doubling and intermittent transitions. They also predict a hysteretic effect in such transitions, and give quantitative approximations to the bifurcation curves in (r, sigma ) parameter space. These are in agreement with the results of direct numerical simulation.