  A novel flow state consisting of two oppositely travelling waves (TWs) with
oscillating amplitudes has been found in the counterrotating Taylor-Couette
system by full numerical simulations. This structure bifurcates out of axially
standing waves that are nonlinear superpositions of left and right handed
spiral vortex waves with equal time-independent amplitudes. Beyond a critical
driving the two spiral TW modes start to oscillate in counterphase due to a
Hopf bifurcation. The trigger for this bifurcation is provided by a nonlinearly
excited mode of different symmetry than the spiral TWs. A three-mode coupled
amplitude equation model is presented that captures this bifurcation scenario.
The mode-coupling between two symmetry degenerate critical modes and a
nonlinearly excited one that is contained in the model can be expected to occur
in other structure forming systems as well.
