Abstract

We present an experimental study on the local dynamics of parametrically excited waves at an airwater interface when defects are present in the wave pattern. The probability density function (PDF) of the local wave amplitude displays an exponential part for values close to the average amplitude and decreases sharply to zero for large amplitudes. The power spectral density (PSD) of the local amplitude fluctuations shows a power-law behavior over one decade which we relate to a regime of defect-mediated turbulence. © 2009 World Scientific Publishing Company.