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Patterns of convection in spherical shells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

F. H. Busse
F. H. Busse
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles
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Abstract

The problem of the pattern of motion realized in a convectively unstable system with spherical symmetry can be considered without reference to the physical details of the system. Since the solution of the linear problem is degenerate because of the spherical homogeneity, the nonlinear terms must be taken into account in order to remove the degeneracy. The solvability condition leads to the selection of patterns distinguished by their symmetries among spherical harmonics of even order. It is shown that the corresponding convective motions set in as subcritical finite amplitude instabilities.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 72 , Issue 1 , 11 November 1975 , pp. 67 - 85
Copyright
© 1975 Cambridge University Press

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