Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 4397–4400 (1995)Long-Wavelength Instability in Surface-Tension-Driven Bénard ConvectionReceived 22 June 1995; published in the issue dated 11 December 1995 Laboratory studies reveal a deformational instability that leads to a drained region (dry spot) in an initially flat liquid layer (with a free upper surface) heated uniformly from below. This long-wavelength instability supplants hexagonal convection cells as the primary instability in viscous liquid layers that are sufficiently thin or are in microgravity. The instability occurs at a temperature gradient 35% smaller than predicted by linear stability theory. Numerical simulations show a drained region qualitatively similar to that seen in the experiment. © 1995 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.75.4397
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.75.4397
PACS:
47.20.Dr, 47.20.Ky, 47.54.+r, 68.15.+e
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