Parametric excitation of Rayleigh convection in the presence of a variable heat flux on the free surface

The onset of Rayleigh convection in a semi-infinite fluid layer is investigated for a heat flux harmonically modulated along the normal to the surface of the fluid. The problem of the evolution of the velocity and temperature perturbations is solved numerically by means of a finite-difference method. The stability limits and the characteristics of the critical perturbations are determined as functions of the Prandtl numbers. The behavior of the critical Rayleigh number is studied for finite layer depths.Perm'. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 40–44, November–December, 1996.