Inverse cascade and symmetry breaking in rapidly-rotating Boussinesq convection
arXiv:1408.6483 · doi:10.1063/1.4895131
Abstract
In this paper we present numerical simulations of rapidly-rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection in the Boussinesq approximation with stress-free boundary conditions. At moderately low Rossby number and large Rayleigh number, we show that a large-scale depth-invariant flow is formed, reminiscent of the condensate state observed in two-dimensional flows. We show that the large-scale circulation shares many similarities with the so-called vortex, or slow-mode, of forced rotating turbulence. Our investigations show that at a fixed rotation rate the large-scale vortex is only observed for a finite range of Rayleigh numbers, as the quasi-two-dimensional nature of the flow disappears at very high Rayleigh numbers. We observe slow vortex merging events and find a non-local inverse cascade of energy in addition to the regular direct cascade associated with fast small-scale turbulent motions. Finally, we show that cyclonic structures are dominant in the small-scale turbulent flow and this symmetry breaking persists in the large-scale vortex motion.
15 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Physics of Fluids
References in corpus (6)
- Scale interactions and scaling laws in rotating flows at moderate Rossby numbers and large Reynolds numbers
- Large scale flow effects, energy transfer, and self-similarity on turbulence
- Anisotropic fluxes and nonlocal interactions in MHD turbulence
- Convective intensification of magnetic fields in the quiet Sun
- Vortical and Wave Modes in 3D Rotating Stratified Flows: Random Large Scale Forcing
- Double-diffusive instabilities of a shear-generated magnetic layer
Cited by in corpus (40)
- Approaching the Asymptotic Regime of Rapidly Rotating Convection: Boundary Layers vs Interior Dynamics
- Large-scale vortices in rapidly rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection
- Rayleigh-Bénard convection with a melting boundary
- The effects of Ekman pumping on quasi-geostrophic Rayleigh-Benard convection
- Intertial wave turbulence driven by elliptical instability
- Turbulent rotating convection confined in a slender cylinder: the sidewall circulation
- Generation of magnetic fields by large-scale vortices in rotating convection
- Bistability in Rayleigh-Bénard convection with a melting boundary
- Subcritical turbulent condensate in rapidly rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection
- Laboratory Exploration of Heat Transfer Regimes in Rapidly Rotating Turbulent Convection
- Convection-driven kinematic dynamos at low Rossby and magnetic Prandtl numbers
- Convection with Misaligned Gravity and Rotation: Simulations and Rotating Mixing Length Theory
- Frictional boundary layer effect on vortex condensation in rotating turbulent convection
- Oscillatory thermal-inertial flows in liquid metal rotating convection
- Jets and large-scale vortices in rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection
- Velocimetry in rapidly rotating convection: spatial correlations, flow structures and length scales
- Inverse cascades of kinetic energy and thermal variance in three-dimensional horizontally extended turbulent convection
- Zonal jets experiments in the gas giants' zonostrophic regime
- Discontinuous Transitions Towards Vortex Condensates in Buoyancy-Driven Rotating Turbulence
- Tornado-Like Vortices in the Quasi-Cyclostrophic Regime of Coriolis-Centrifugal Convection
- Large-scale-vortex dynamos in planar rotating convection
- Bistability of the large-scale dynamics in quasi-two-dimensional turbulence
- Energy cascades in rapidly rotating and stratified turbulence within elongated domains
- Tidal dissipation due to the elliptical instability and turbulent viscosity in convection zones in rotating giant planets and stars
- Fingering convection in the stably-stratified layers of planetary cores
- Robust wall modes and their interplay with bulk turbulence in confined rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection
- Asymptotic behaviour of rotating convection-driven dynamos in the plane layer geometry
- Role of the forcing dimensionality in thin-layer turbulent energy cascades
- Bridging the Rossby number gap in rapidly rotating thermal convection
- Effects of kinematic and magnetic boundary conditions on the dynamics of convection-driven plane layer dynamos
- Turbulent mesoscale convection in the Boussinesq limit and beyond
- Direct driving of simulated planetary jets by upscale energy transfer
- The interactions of the elliptical instability and convection
- Seven decades of exploring planetary interiors with rotating convection experiments
- Convective dynamics with mixed temperature boundary conditions: why thermal relaxation matters and how to accelerate it
- Generation of shear flows and vortices in rotating anelastic convection
- Spontaneous Generated Convective Anticyclones in Low Latitude -- A Model for the Great Red Spot
- Bursting of columnar structures in forced rotating turbulence
- Scale-by-scale kinetic energy flux calculations in simulations of rotating convection
- Transition to inverse cascade in turbulent rotating convection in absence of the large-scale vortex