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Let the basic temperature be $\overline{T}=T_{\ast }-\beta z$ with $\beta >0$, the density be ${\rho }_0$, gravitational acceleration be $-g\hat{\mathbf{z}}$, and thermal expansion coefficient be $a_T$. Denote kinematic viscosity, thermal diffusivity and magnetic diffusivity by $\nu ,\kappa ,\eta$. Write the dimensional magnetic perturbation as ${\mathbf{b}}_d$, the temperature perturbation as ${\theta }_d$, and use constant permeability ${\mu }_0$. Linearizing the Boussinesq equations and the resistive induction equation about the static state givesThe Lorentz force identity is $(\nabla \times {\mathbf{b}}_d)\times B_0\mathbf{c}=B_0(\mathbf{c}\cdot \nabla ){\mathbf{b}}_d-\nabla (B_0\mathbf{c}\cdot {\mathbf{b}}_d)$. Its gradient term is absorbed into $P_d$, the perturbation magnetohydrodynamic total pressure. The temperature source follows from ${\mathbf{u}}_d\cdot \nabla \overline{T}=-\beta u_{d,z}$.

Choose any reference length $d$, since no vertical boundaries are prescribed. Scale length by $d$, time by $d^2/\kappa$, velocity by $\kappa /d$, temperature perturbation by $\beta d$, magnetic perturbation by $B_0$, and total pressure by ${\rho }_0\nu \kappa /d^2$. The dimensionless parameters areThey are the Prandtl number, magnetic-to-thermal diffusivity ratio, Rayleigh number, and Chandrasekhar number, respectively. Division by the chosen scales givesIn particular $Q\zeta =B_0^2{d}^2/({\mu }_0{\rho }_0\nu \kappa )$, so the diffusivity convention agrees with the momentum coefficient.

For a plane wave put $\mathbf{l}=(k,0,m)$, $q=|\mathbf{l}{|}^2=k^2+m^2$, and $d_{\parallel }=\mathbf{c}\cdot \mathbf{l}=k\sin \alpha +m\cos \alpha$. The induction and temperature equations imply $\hat{\mathbf{b}}=i{d}_{\parallel }\hat{\mathbf{u}}/(s+\zeta q)$ and $\hat{\theta }=\hat{w}/(s+q)$. The projection $P=I-\mathbf{l}{\mathbf{l}}^{\mathsf{T}}/q$ removes pressure. Because $(P\hat{\mathbf{z}}{)}_z=k^2/q$, its vertical momentum equation isThus the oblique-field plane-wave magnetoconvection dispersion relation isIf out-of-plane velocity is also allowed, its decoupled magnetic branch satisfies $(s/\sigma +q)(s+\zeta q)+Q\zeta d_{\parallel }^2=0$; it has no buoyant driving. At stationary marginality, for $k\ne 0$,These are stationary thresholds; an oscillatory marginal mode, if present for particular diffusivity ratios, is a different onset calculation.

For $m=1$, write $R_{mathrmstat}=F(k)+QG(k)$, where $F=(1+k^2{)}^3/k^2$ and $G=(1+k^2)(\cos \alpha +k\sin \alpha {)}^2/k^2$. Direct differentiation gives $F^{\prime }(k)=-2k^{-3}+6k+4k^3$, so its two minima are $\pm 1/\sqrt{2}$, with $F=27/4$ and $F^{\prime \prime }=36$. For $Q>0$ the negative sign has the smaller magnetic penalty: at every positive $k$, $G(-k)<G(k)$ because both sine and cosine of the inclination are positive. The wavenumber selection in oblique-field magnetoconvection therefore starts from $a=-1/\sqrt{2}$. Expanding $F^{\prime }(k_c)+Q{G}^{\prime }(k_c)=0$ gives $k_c=a+C_{1}Q+O(Q^2)$, where $C_1=-G^{\prime }(a)/F^{\prime \prime }(a)$. Taylor expansion of the value then givesThis proves the small-field forms, including the order of the correction.

For large $Q$, $G$ is nonnegative and vanishes only at $b=-\cot \alpha$. The candidate $k=b$ has finite threshold $F(b)$, so a global minimizer must satisfy $QG(k_c)\le F(b)$ and hence tend to $b$. Here $G^{\prime \prime }(b)=2(1+b^2){\sin }^2\alpha /b^2>0$. Expanding the stationarity condition at $b$ yieldsThe value expansion isThe leading coefficient follows from $1+{\cot }^2\alpha ={\csc }^2\alpha$. The expansion holds at fixed $0<\alpha <\pi /2$.

Finally choose $\cot \alpha =1/\sqrt{2}$. Then the nonmagnetic minimizing wavevector also has $d_{\parallel }=0$, and its magnetic penalty vanishes. Since $F(k)\ge 27/4$ and $QG(k)\ge 0$, this is the global minimum for every nonnegative field strength:This field-independent stationary threshold in oblique magnetoconvection has a simple physical explanation: the disturbance is constant along the imposed field, so it does not bend field lines.