Thermal convection

Thermal convection is fluid motion driven by temperature-dependent buoyancy. It transports heat by bulk motion in addition to thermal conduction.

Horizontal convection is buoyancy-driven circulation forced by lateral variations of temperature along one horizontal boundary. Hot and cold surface regions drive a circulation even though all thermal forcing is applied at the same height. An insulated bottom and sides require zero net heat exchange through the remaining surface in steady state, but permit heat to enter its warmer region and leave its colder region.

For downward depth $z=ϵy$, take $(u,w)=({\psi }_z,-{\psi }_x)$, surface temperature $T=x$, a flat impermeable stress-free upper boundary and a no-slip insulated bottom. In the steady infinite-Prandtl number thin-layer interior, ${\psi }_{zzzz}=-\mathrm{Ra}$ with $\psi ={\psi }_{zz}=0$ at the surface and $\psi ={\psi }_z=0$ at the bottom. The displayed profile follows. Sidewall end layers close the circulation; the interior profile must not be imposed unchanged at those walls.

The interior first temperature correction obeys ${\Theta }_{zz}=u={\psi }_z$, $\Theta (0)=0$ and ${\Theta }_z(ϵ)=0$. Hence ${\Theta }_z=\psi$, which integrates to the displayed polynomial. Its contribution to depth-integrated horizontal advective heat flux is $\int u\Theta dz=-\int {\psi }^{2}dz=-19{\mathrm{Ra}}^2{ϵ}^9/1451520$. The leading conductive flux is $-ϵ$. These statements apply away from the sidewall end layers at fixed Rayleigh number as the layer becomes shallow.

Heat-carrying fluid motion dominated by an externally imposed flow or shear. Buoyancy may still influence it; forced and free contributions can coexist. In surface-layer scaling, $z\ll |{\ell }_O|$ is predominantly shear-driven, while $z\gg |{\ell }_O|$ is predominantly buoyancy-driven for lower-boundary heating.

Convection driven primarily by buoyancy generated by heating or cooling, rather than an externally imposed mean flow. In a constant-flux unstable surface layer, the local speed scales as $(B_{0}z{)}^{1/3}$.

For a positive approximately constant vertical turbulent buoyancy flux, dimensional turnover scaling gives $K_b\sim B_0^{1/3}{z}^{4/3}$ and $N^2\sim -B_0^{2/3}{z}^{-4/3}$. The negative squared frequency describes unstable overturning, not a real restoring oscillation. The leading dissipation is height-independent, unlike neutral wall turbulence.

A finite-wavenumber convection instability with a resonant three-wave triad can yield three coupled amplitude equations. For the gradient nonlinearity $\nabla \cdot (|\nabla \Theta {|}^2\nabla \Theta )$ and weak quadratic asymmetry $-ϵ\gamma \nabla \cdot (\Theta \nabla \Theta )$, projection onto a triad of length squared $K$ gives the stated equation and its cyclic copies. The quadratic coefficient is $+\gamma K$, while both self and cross cubic coefficients are $-3K^2$ for angles of $120$ degrees. The finite critical mode requires positive linear damping in the underlying long-wave equation.

For a resonant three-wave triad with rotational and translational symmetry but no spatial reflection, the cubic amplitude equations have the cyclic form $\dot{A}=\mu A+\overline{B}\overline{C}-{\nu }_1|A{|}^{2}A-({\nu }_2+\delta )|B{|}^{2}A-({\nu }_2-\delta )|C{|}^{2}A$. A half-turn induces complex conjugation, so all coefficients are real. The coefficient $\delta$ distinguishes the two cyclic cross-couplings that a reflection would interchange.

For the rotational hexagon amplitude equations, put $d={\nu }_2-{\nu }_1$ and $N={\nu }_1+2{\nu }_2$. A roll with $r^2=\mu /{\nu }_1$ has transverse eigenvalues $-d{r}^2\pm \sqrt{{\delta }^2{r}^4+r^2}$, each twice, radial eigenvalue $-2\mu$, and one neutral translation. A hexagon with $\mu =N{h}^2-h$ has real-amplitude eigenvalues $h-2N{h}^2$ and $-2h+2d{h}^2\pm 2i\sqrt{3}\delta h^2$; its imaginary-amplitude eigenvalues are $-3h,0,0$. These follow by diagonalizing the cyclic Jacobian matrix. Stability is understood modulo translations. If ${\nu }_2>{\nu }_1>0$ and $\delta \ne 0$, the upper positive hexagon branch reaches a Hopf bifurcation at $h=1/d$, $\mu =(2{\nu }_1+{\nu }_2)/d^2$.

Write the translation group action as $(A,B,C)\mapsto (e^{i{\theta }_1}A,e^{i{\theta }_2}B,e^{-i({\theta }_1+{\theta }_2)}C)$. Modulo lattice translations, the stabilizer subgroup of $(h,h,h)$, with nonzero real $h$, is the sixfold rotation group. Its fixed-point subspace of a group action is the real line $(a,a,a)$. The stabilizer subgroup of $(r,0,0)$, with nonzero real $r$, consists of the circle ${\theta }_1=0$ together with a half-turn; its fixed-point subspace of a group action is the real line $(a,0,0)$. The equivariant branching lemma therefore supplies generic branches of both axial types.

In the hexagonal convection amplitude equations, a pure convection roll has $|A{|}^2={\mu }_2/(3K)$ and $B=C=0$. The transverse diagonal linear growth cancels because self and cross cubic coefficients coincide. Broken up-down symmetry leaves the off-diagonal coupling $\gamma KA$, giving eigenvalues $\pm |\gamma |K|A|$ and an unstable orientation perturbation whenever $\gamma \ne 0$. With zero quadratic coupling these directions are neutral at the retained order, so that degenerate case cannot be declared strictly unstable by this calculation.

A convection roll is a circulating cell pattern whose ideal velocity and temperature fields are periodic across a chosen horizontal direction and independent of the coordinate along the convection roll axis. In a two-dimensional stream function representation, its velocity field is $(-{\psi }_z,0,{\psi }_x)$. Rayleigh-Bénard convection can select stationary or oscillatory convection rolls; a two-dimensional convection roll may be unstable to three-dimensional disturbances, a different convection roll orientation, or slow amplitude and phase modulations. Existence of a saturated Landau amplitude equation branch does not alone establish its stability.

oscillatory convection is time-dependent convection emerging through nonzero-frequency overstability or a Hopf bifurcation. At onset a complex-conjugate growth-rate pair crosses the imaginary axis. Travelling and standing convection rolls are distinct nonlinear possibilities, and their stability cannot be decided from the linear angular frequency alone.

At fixed orientation, opposite travelling amplitudes can obey ${\dot{Z}}_{\pm }=(r+i{\omega }_0)Z_{\pm }-(g|Z_{\pm }{|}^2+h|Z_{\mp }{|}^2)Z_{\pm }$. For $r>0$ and $g_r=\mathrm{Re}g>0$, a travelling branch has one nonzero intensity $r/g_r$ and is stable to its counter-propagating amplitude when $h_r>g_r$. A standing branch has both intensities $r/(g_r+h_r)$ and is stable within the pair when $g_r>h_r$ and $g_r+h_r>0$. These follow by linearizing the real intensity equations. Spatial modulation and other orientations remain separate stability tests.

stationary convection has a time-independent velocity and temperature field, in the chosen fixed frame. Its onset from a conduction state corresponds to a real growth rate passing through zero. Stability of a resulting steady convection roll is a separate nonlinear question.

A stable stratification gives a restoring buoyancy force and positive squared buoyancy frequency for an adiabatically displaced parcel. An adverse specific entropy gradient can instead drive convection; other forces such as rotation can modify the full stability criterion.

Convective overshoot carries material from an unstable convecting region into an adjacent stably stratified region because its momentum does not vanish at the stability boundary. In stars this mixes material beyond the boundary determined by a local stellar convective stability criterion, changing stellar core masses and nuclear lifetimes.

Double-diffusive convection occurs when two properties, such as temperature and composition, affect buoyancy but diffuse at different rates. A stabilizing composition gradient can oppose a destabilizing thermal gradient and change the form of heat transport.

Thermosolutal convection is double-diffusive convection driven by temperature and concentration gradients. Their buoyancy contributions can oppose one another, while unequal thermal diffusivity and solutal diffusivity allow steady, oscillatory and finite-amplitude states. For a layer heated from below with a stabilizing concentration gradient, thermal buoyancy is destabilizing and solutal buoyancy restoring.

A steady well-mixed hot salty reservoir receives volume flux $Q$ and loses the same flux over a weir. Heat and salt balances are $Q(T_i-T)=A{F}_T$ and $Q(S_i-S)=A{F}_S$. If $\beta F_S/(\alpha F_T)=R_F$ and $\alpha F_T=b(\alpha \Delta T{)}^{4/3}/R_{\rho }^2$, define $R_0=\beta (S_i-S_{\infty })/[\alpha (T_i-T_{\infty })]$. Then ${\eta }_s=(R_F/R_0){\theta }_s$ and $C=Ab[\alpha (T_i-T_{\infty }){]}^{1/3}/(Q{R}_0^2)$. For $R_0>1$ and $0\le R_F<1$ the interface is statically stable while preferential heat transfer can drive double-diffusive convection.

After inflow and overflow cease, a fixed-volume reservoir initially in the preceding steady state obeys $\eta =q\theta$ and $\dot{\theta }=k(1-\theta {)}^{10/3}/(1-q\theta {)}^2$, with $k=Ab[\alpha (T_i-T_{\infty }){]}^{1/3}/(V{R}_0^2)$. Integrating gives $k(t-t_0)=G(\theta )-G({\theta }_s)$, where $G=3(1-q{)}^2(1-\theta {)}^{-7/3}/7+3q(1-q)(1-\theta {)}^{-4/3}/2+3q^2(1-\theta {)}^{-1/3}$. For $q<1$, heat contrast tends to zero only at infinite time, while a nonzero salt contrast remains.

A five-mode Galerkin method model retains the roll velocity $a$, its correlated temperature and concentration modes $b,d$, and the mean-profile distortions $c,e$. Its parameters include the Prandtl number $\sigma$, diffusivity ratio $\tau$, thermal forcing $r$, stabilizing solutal forcing $r_s$, and a positive geometric decay ratio $\varpi$. The velocity equation is $\dot{a}=\sigma (-a+rb-r_{s}d)$, while the scalar equations are $\dot{b}=-b+a(1-c)$, $\dot{c}=\varpi (-c+ab)$, $\dot{d}=-\tau d+a(1-e)$ and $\dot{e}=\varpi (-\tau e+ad)$. The solutal forcing is normalized using the thermal diffusion scale, so its steady stabilizing effect is $r_s/\tau$.

Linearization of the Lorenz model of thermosolutal convection at conduction yields $(\lambda +\sigma )(\lambda +1)(\lambda +\tau )-\sigma r(\lambda +\tau )+\sigma r_s(\lambda +1)=0$. A Hopf bifurcation requires the cubic coefficient identity $a_3=a_1{a}_2$ and positive frequency squared. Its threshold is the stated $r_H$, with ${\omega }^2=\sigma r_s(1-\tau )/(\sigma +1)-{\tau }^2>0$. If $r_s={\beta }^2\tau$ and $\delta =\sigma /(1+\sigma )$, then $r_H=1+\tau /\delta +{\beta }^2\tau \delta +O({\tau }^2)$. Comparing with the steady fold of a thermosolutal Lorenz model gives a leading nonnegative difference $\tau (\beta \delta -1{)}^2/\delta$ for $\beta \ge 0$.

A nonzero steady Lorenz model of thermosolutal convection branch obeys $r(x)=(1+x)+r_s\tau (1+x)/({\tau }^2+x)$, with $x=a^2$. For $0<\tau <1$, it has an interior saddle-node bifurcation precisely when $r_s>{\tau }^3/(1-{\tau }^2)$. Differentiating gives $x_{\ast }=-{\tau }^2+\sqrt{r_s\tau (1-{\tau }^2)}$ and the stated minimum. The weaker-versus-stronger threshold distinction matters: a sufficient bound need not be the sharp subcriticality condition. Steady-branch existence alone does not decide oscillatory stability.

Layered convection consists of mixed convecting layers separated by more weakly transporting interfaces. In a giant planet, composition gradients can support such interfaces and reduce heat loss, contributing to delayed cooling of an inflated giant planet.