  Wavenumber selection in pattern forming systems remains a long standing
puzzle in physics. Previous studies have shown that external noise is a
possible mechanism for wavenumber 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 wavenumber 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.
