Thermocapillary convection in a liquid layer with local heating

The motion induced in a liquid by a heat pulse is mathematically described. The velocity and temperature distributions on the surface and in the body of the liquid are determined numerically. The theoretical results obtained are compared with the experimental data of [1].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 151–156, September–October, 1987.The authors are very grateful to V. A. Al'vares-Suares for discussing their results.