-One of the pivotal questions in the dynamics of the oceans is related to the cascade of mechanical energy in the abyss and its contribution to mixing. Here, we propose internal wave attractors in the large amplitude regime as a unique self-consistent experimental and numerical setup that models a cascade of triadic interactions transferring energy from large-scale monochromatic input to multi-scale internal wave motion. We also provide signatures of a discrete wave turbulence framework for internal waves. Finally, we show how beyond this regime, we have a clear transition to a regime of small-scale high-vorticity events which induce mixing.Introduction. -The continuous energy input to the ocean interior comes from the interaction of global tides with the bottom topography [1]. The subsequent mechanical energy cascade to small-scale internal-wave motion and mixing is a subject of active debate [2] in view of the important role played by abyssal mixing in existing models of ocean dynamics [3][4][5]. A question remains: how does energy injected through internal waves at large vertical scales [6] induce the mixing of the fluid [2]?In a stratified fluid with an initially constant buoyancy frequency N = [(−g/ρ)(dρ/dz)] 1/2 , where ρ(z) is the density distribution (ρ a reference value) over vertical coordinate z, and g the gravity acceleration, the dispersion relation of internal waves is θ = ± arcsin(Ω). The angle θ is the slope of the wave beam to the horizontal, and Ω the frequency of oscillations non-dimensionalized by N . The dispersion relation requires preservation of the slope of the internal wave beam upon reflection at a rigid boundary. In the case of a sloping boundary, this property gives a purely geometric reason for a strong variation of the width of internal wave beams (focusing or defocusing) upon reflection. Internal wave focusing provides a necessary condition for large shear and overturning, as well as shear and bottom layer instabilities at slopes [7][8][9][10].In a confined fluid domain, focusing usually prevails, leading to a concentration of wave energy on a closed loop, the internal wave attractor [11]. Attractors eventually

In the present paper, we combine numerical and experimental approaches to study the dynamics of stable and unstable internal wave attractors. The problem is considered in a classic trapezoidal set-up filled with a uniformly stratified fluid. Energy is injected into the system at global scale by the small-amplitude motion of a vertical wall. Wave motion in the test tank is measured with the help of conventional synthetic schlieren and particle image velocimetry techniques. The numerical set-up closely reproduces the experimental one in terms of geometry and the operational range of the Reynolds and Schmidt numbers. The spectral element method is used as a numerical tool to simulate the nonlinear dynamics of a viscous salt-stratified fluid. We show that the results of 3D calculations are in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental data, including the spatial and temporal parameters of the secondary waves produced by triadic resonance instability. Further, we explore experimentally and numerically the effect of lateral walls on secondary currents and spanwise distribution of velocity amplitudes in the wave beams. Finally, we test the assumption of a bidimensional flow and estimate the error made in synthetic schlieren measurements due to this assumption.