Buoyancy frequency ($N$)

The buoyancy frequency is the natural angular frequency of small vertical oscillations in a stably stratified fluid.

For uniform composition, upward coordinate $z$ and downward acceleration $g>0$, a pressure-equilibrated adiabatic parcel in a hydrostatic ideal gas has $\ddot{\zeta }=-N^2\zeta$ with $N^2=g[(d\ln p/dz)/\gamma -d\ln \rho /dz]$. A positive value gives restoring buoyancy; for a calorically perfect gas it is also $(g/c_p)ds/dz$. Heat or composition exchange requires a modified stability test.

For a gas of fixed composition in hydrostatic equilibrium, with $z$ upward and downward gravitational acceleration of magnitude $g$, an adiabatic process gives the displaced element density change $\delta {\rho }_{\mathrm{element}}=\rho {\gamma }^{-1}(d\ln p/dz)\xi$. Comparing with the ambient change $(d\rho /dz)\xi$ yieldsThe ideal gas law $p=\rho \mathcal{R}T$ and $dp/dz=-\rho g$ give the title expression, where $c_p=\gamma \mathcal{R}/(\gamma -1)$ is the constant-pressure specific heat capacity. A temperature gradient less negative than the adiabatic lapse rate gives positive $N^2$; a steeper decline gives convective instability.

The radial buoyancy frequency describes restoration of a radially displaced parcel in a stratified astrophysical disk. With a dimensionless specific entropy $S$, its square is proportional to $-{\rho }^{-1}(dP/dr)(dS/dr)$. Negative $N_r^2$ means an adverse entropy stratification, but epicyclic motion can still stabilize the parcel. For smooth thin disk profiles, $|N_r^2|$ is usually of order $(H/r{)}^2{\Omega }^2$.

For ideal axisymmetric radial displacements in a Keplerian shearing sheet, the hydrodynamic squared oscillation frequency is $N_r^2+{\kappa }^2$, with radial epicyclic frequency $\kappa =\Omega$. Exponential instability occurs when $N_r^2+{\kappa }^2<0$. This is the radial special case of rotating-fluid convective stability, rather than the complete set of three-dimensional Solberg–Høiland criteria.

For a dry, homogeneous ideal gas in hydrostatic equilibrium, a displaced parcel undergoing an adiabatic process follows $dT/dz=-g/C_p$, where $C_p$ is specific heat capacity at constant pressure. At a common pressure its buoyancy depends on its temperature difference from the environment, giving $N^2=(g/T)(dT/dz+g/C_p)$. Negative $N^2$ means growing displacements; zero $N^2$ means neutral stability. This is the homogeneous dry limit of the Schwarzschild criterion.

A Richardson number compares gravitational stratification with inertial or shear effects. Its precise form depends on the characteristic scales or local gradients being compared.

The ratio of stable buoyancy destruction to shear production of turbulent kinetic energy. With down-gradient transport and turbulent Prandtl number ${\mathrm{Pr}}_t$, it obeys ${\mathrm{Ri}}_f={\mathrm{Ri}}_g/{\mathrm{Pr}}_t$, rather than automatically equaling the gradient Richardson number. Unstable buoyancy production gives a negative value in this convention.

With positive stable buoyancy destruction $B$ and positive dissipation $ϵ$, this normalized sink fraction need not equal the Flux Richardson number $B/P$ away from equilibrium. If $R=(B+ϵ)/P$, then $J={\mathrm{Ri}}_f/R$. In the fixed-correlation equilibrium model for stratified turbulence, a minimum of $R=a/q+bq$ has $B=ϵ$, hence $J=1/2$. The actual flux Richardson number there is $R_{\min }/2$ and equals $1/2$ only when that minimum also satisfies the equilibrium condition $R=1$.

A local ratio of stabilizing buoyancy to shear across an interface of thickness $\delta$, using reduced gravity jump $g^{\prime }$ and characteristic velocity $u$. The dimensionless value is ${\mathrm{Ri}}_i=g^{\prime }\delta /u^2$. It is distinct from a whole-layer bulk Richardson number based on the total mixed depth. Local entrainment laws use this ratio when the transition thickness and velocity characterize the turbulence-producing region.

Combine a fixed-energy mixed-layer relation $u^{2}h=A{\Omega }^2{R}^3$, jump $g^{\prime }=N^{2}h/2$, and stress power proportional to $u^3$ with an energy-transfer factor $(\Omega /N{)}^{\alpha }(\delta /R{)}^{\beta }$. Eliminating depth in favor of the interfacial Richardson number gives $E\propto (\Omega /N{)}^{\alpha -1}(\delta /R{)}^{\beta +3/2}{\mathrm{Ri}}_i^{-3/2}$. A local-only entrainment closure requires $\alpha =1$, $\beta =-3/2$ and exponent $3/2$ on the Richardson number.

A bulk Richardson number compares a characteristic buoyancy difference across a layer with the squared characteristic flow speed. It uses large-scale differences rather than the pointwise gradient Richardson number. Its normalization depends on the chosen velocity, density and length scales.

For a stratified parallel shear flow, the gradient Richardson number compares the squared buoyancy frequency with squared vertical shear. The Miles–Howard theorem excludes exponentially growing inviscid normal modes when this ratio is at least $1/4$ everywhere. Where $U^{\prime }=0$, the equivalent criterion is written directly as $N^2\ge (U^{\prime }{)}^2/4$.

In a spherically symmetric stellar model with inward gravity magnitude $g$, the squared buoyancy frequency isPositive $N^2$ gives stable stratification. Regular central profiles have $g=O(r)$ and logarithmic pressure and density gradients of order $r$, so $N^2=O(r^2)$ near the center.