Rapidly rotating Maxwell-Cattaneo convection

Abstract

The classical Fourier law, which typically provides a very accurate description of heat transport, is, nonetheless, only an approximation, since it allows for propagation of information at infinite speed. Corrections to the Fourier law, which typically are very small, are referred to as the Maxwell-Cattaneo (M-C) effect. Here we study the onset of rotating convection, a problem of geophysical and astrophysical relevance, incorporating the M-C effect. We show how, at high rotation rates (which are readily achieved in rotating astrophysical bodies), the M-C effect (although nominally small) can come into play, causing fundamental changes to the nature and scale of the preferred mode of convection.