Thermal Convection in a Plane Layer Rotating About a Horizontal Axis

The thermal convection of a fluid in a plane vertical layer with a cylindrical lateral boundary, which rotates uniformly about a horizontal symmetry axis, is investigated experimentally. The structure and excitation limit of the convective flows are studied as functions of the rotation frequency, the temperature difference between the layer boundaries, and the layer thickness. The determining dimensionless parameters are found. It is shown that the period-average gravity action produces convection in the form of hexagonally distributed cells stationary in the reference system tied to the cavity.