Symmetry breaking of rotating convection due to non-Oberbeck–Boussinesq effects
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087169_1_5.0220662.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.83 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
136244c1f6bde8fe553714a6c4d955b8
Author(s)
Wang, Shuang
Kang, Wanying
Date Issued
August 27, 2024
Journal
Physics of Fluids
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Citation
Shuang Wang, Wanying Kang; Symmetry breaking of rotating convection due to non-Oberbeck–Boussinesq effects. Physics of Fluids 1 August 2024; 36 (8): 087169.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The non-Oberbeck–Boussinesq (NOB) effects arising from variations in thermal expansivity are theoretically and numerically studied in the context of rotating Rayleigh–Bénard convection in forms of two-dimensional rolls. The thermal expansivity increases with pressure (depth), and its variation is measured by a dimensionless factor ε. Utilizing an asymptotic expansion with weak nonlinearity, we derive an amplitude equation, revealing that NOB effects amplify the magnitude of convection. An ε2-order NOB correction leads to a symmetry breaking about the horizontal mid-plane, manifested in the strengthening of convection near the bottom and its weakening near the top, forming bottom-heavy profiles. At ε3-order, the conjunction of NOB effects and nonlinear advection leads to a horizontal symmetry breaking. The values of Taylor number and Prandtl number determine whether upward or downward plumes are stronger. Numerical calculations validate the theoretical analyses in weakly nonlinear regime. This work advances our understanding of hydrothermal plumes in some winter lakes on Earth and in the subglacial oceans on icy moons as well as tracer transport from the seafloor to the ice shell.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0220662
