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Main Authors: Ren, Lei, Zhong, Jun, Lai, Rushi, Sun, Chao
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.14800
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author Ren, Lei
Zhong, Jun
Lai, Rushi
Sun, Chao
author_facet Ren, Lei
Zhong, Jun
Lai, Rushi
Sun, Chao
contents We present a combined experimental and numerical investigation of the transition from the classical to the ultimate regime of thermal turbulence in a supergravitational centrifugal convection system. The transition is found to be robust, with the critical Rayleigh number decreasing systematically as the Froude number, defined as the ratio of centrifugal to Earth's gravity, decreases, highlighting the effect of residual gravity. Once the Rayleigh number reaches the transition threshold, the Stewartson layer induced by residual Earth gravity becomes comparable in thickness to the viscous boundary layer, and their interaction results in a coupled flow that distorts the viscous boundary layer, triggering its transition from laminar to turbulent flow and leading to a sharp increase in heat transport. These findings demonstrate the key role of the Stewartson layer induced by residual gravity in facilitating the transition to the ultimate regime in supergravitational centrifugal thermal convection.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_14800
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Physical Mechanism behind the Early Onset of the Ultimate State in Supergravitational Centrifugal Thermal Convection
Ren, Lei
Zhong, Jun
Lai, Rushi
Sun, Chao
Fluid Dynamics
We present a combined experimental and numerical investigation of the transition from the classical to the ultimate regime of thermal turbulence in a supergravitational centrifugal convection system. The transition is found to be robust, with the critical Rayleigh number decreasing systematically as the Froude number, defined as the ratio of centrifugal to Earth's gravity, decreases, highlighting the effect of residual gravity. Once the Rayleigh number reaches the transition threshold, the Stewartson layer induced by residual Earth gravity becomes comparable in thickness to the viscous boundary layer, and their interaction results in a coupled flow that distorts the viscous boundary layer, triggering its transition from laminar to turbulent flow and leading to a sharp increase in heat transport. These findings demonstrate the key role of the Stewartson layer induced by residual gravity in facilitating the transition to the ultimate regime in supergravitational centrifugal thermal convection.
title Physical Mechanism behind the Early Onset of the Ultimate State in Supergravitational Centrifugal Thermal Convection
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.14800