Interactions between two adjacent convection rolls in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection

Abstract

Neighboring convection rolls are experimentally found to be stable in either counter-rotating or co-rotating states, with stochastic switching between the two states. These states are quantitatively described by analytic solutions of a low-dimensional stochastic model in which turbulent thermal diffusion between the rolls provides the forcing that stabilizes both states, using the same turbulent thermal diffusivity parameter that characterizes heat transport. This is presented within a generalized model framework that can account for the geometry of the convection cells and other forces.