Transitions between convective patterns in chemical fronts

We present a theory for the transition from nonaxisymmetric to axisymmetric convection in iodate-arsenous acid reaction fronts propagating in a vertical slab. The transition takes place away from the onset of convection, where a convectionless flat front becomes unstable to a nonaxisymmetric convective front. The transition is studied by numerically solving a reaction-diffusion equation coupled with nonlinear hydrodynamics in a two-dimensional slab. (c) 1995 The American Physical Society