Wave-number selection in pattern-forming systems.

Wave-number selection in pattern-forming systems remains a long-standing puzzle in physics. Previous studies have shown that external noise is a possible mechanism for wave-number selection. We conduct an extensive numerical study of the noisy stabilized Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation. We use a fast spectral method of integration, which enables us to investigate long-time behavior for large system sizes that could not be investigated by earlier work. We find that a state with a unique wave number has the highest probability of occurring at very long times. We also find that this state is independent of the strength of the noise and initial conditions, thus making a convincing case for the role of noise as a mechanism of state selection.