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Onset of low Prandtl number thermal convection in thin spherical shells

F. Garcia, F. R. N. Chambers, and A. L. Watts

  • Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 3, 024801 – Published 21 February, 2018Erratum Phys. Rev. Fluids 3, 059901 (2018)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.3.024801

Abstract

This study considers the onset of stress-free Boussinesq thermal convection in rotating spherical shells with an aspect ratio η=ri/ro=0.9 (ri and ro being the inner and outer radius), Prandtl numbers Pr∈[10−4,10−1], and Taylor numbers Ta∈[104,1012]. We are particularly interested in the form of the convective cell pattern that develops, and in its time scales, since this may have observational consequences. For a fixed Ta<109 and by decreasing Pr from 0.1 to 10−4, a transition between spiraling columnar (SC) and equatorially attached (EA) modes, and a transition between EA and equatorially antisymmetric or symmetric polar (AP/SP) weakly multicellular modes, are found. The latter modes are preferred at very low Pr. Surprisingly, for Ta>3×109, the unicellular polar modes become also preferred at moderate Pr∼10−2 because two new transition curves between EA and AP/SP and between AP/SP and SC modes are born at a triple-point bifurcation. The dependence on Pr and Ta of the transitions is studied to estimate the types of modes, and their critical parameters, preferred at different stellar regimes.

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Erratum

Erratum: Onset of low Prandtl number thermal convection in thin spherical shells [Phys. Rev. Fluids 3, 024801 (2018)]

F. Garcia, F. R. N. Chambers, and A. L. Watts
Phys. Rev. Fluids 3, 059901 (2018)

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 3, 024801– Published 21 February, 2018
  • Received 6 September 2017
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