Abstract Systems that are out-of-equilibrium and exhibit complex patterns are difficult to
characterize. These systems are thermodynamically open, thereby constantly exchanging
heat and matter with the surrounding. In order to be able to systematically and rigorously
characterize such a system we present an experimental study of an out-of-equilibrium
thermodynamic system, the Rayleigh-Benard convection cells. When a thin layer of liquid is
evenly heated from the bottom the liquid tends to self-organize into patterns of hexagonal …