A new instability for finite Prandtl number rotating convection with free-slip boundary conditions

Yannick Ponty (1) , Thierry Passot (1) , Pierre-Louis Sulem

1 CASSIOPEE - Laboratoire de Cosmologie, Astrophysique Stellaire & Solaire, de Planétologie et de Mécanique des Fluides

Rolls in finite Prandtl number rotating convection with free-slip top and bottom boundary conditions are shown to be unstable with respect to small angle perturbations for any value of the rotation rate. This instability is driven by the horizontal mean flow whose estimation requires a special singular perturbation analysis.

Mots clés: pattern; convection; small angle instability; finite Prandtl number

Domaines: Formation de Structures et Solitons [nlin.PS]

Yannick Ponty, Thierry Passot, Pierre-Louis Sulem. A new instability for finite Prandtl number rotating convection with free-slip boundary conditions. Physics of Fluids, 1997, 9 (1), pp.67-75. ⟨hal-00163677⟩