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arXiv · 2508.08623

Boundary layers in quasi-static magnetoconvection with a vertical field and their implications for heat transport

Talal AlRefae·Michael A. Calkins
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Abstract

Heat transport in quasi-static magnetoconvection with a vertical magnetic field in a plane layer geometry is investigated with direct numerical simulations and asymptotic theory in the limit of large Chandrasekhar number ($Q$). It is shown that thermal and magnetic boundary layers with thickness $O(Q^{-1/6})$, of the same order as the horizontal scale of the convection, are persistent over the range of investigated parameters. Thermal boundary layer control of the heat transport indicates that the Nusselt number depends on $Q$, suggesting that no asymptotic state of heat transport independent of $Q$ occurs in this system. The magnetic boundary layers necessitate leading order modifications to the dominant vertical force balance as well as the amplitude of the horizontal induced magnetic field near the boundaries. The scaling behavior of the thermal boundary layer and resulting heat transport is found to be independent of the choice of mechanical and electromagnetic boundary conditions.

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Talal AlRefae, Michael A. Calkins. 2025-08-12. Boundary layers in quasi-static magnetoconvection with a vertical field and their implications for heat transport. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.08623

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