An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A hydrodynamic instability in the → Taylor-Couette flow that arises when the rotation velocity of the fluid exceeds a critical value. The instability arises for → Taylor numbers larger than about 1700.
At the beginning the fluid elements will move in
simple rolls, but turbulence in the form of complex spirals will appear with increasing rotation velocity.

See also: → Taylor-Couette flow; → instability.