Diffusive–thermal instability

Diffusive-thermal instability refers to a phenomenon in which a system experiences instability due to the interplay between diffusion processes (like mass or heat transfer) and thermal effects (such as temperature gradients). This type of instability can occur in various contexts, including materials science, fluid dynamics, and astrophysics. In general, instabilities emerge when small perturbations in a system grow over time rather than decay, leading to a departure from equilibrium.