Fixed-flux Rayleigh-Bénard convection in doubly periodic domains: generation of large-scale shear

Abstract: This work studies two-dimensional fixed-flux Rayleigh-B\'enard convection with periodic boundary conditions in both horizontal and vertical directions and analyzes its dynamics using numerical continuation, secondary instability analysis and direct numerical simulation. The fixed-flux constraint leads to time-independent elevator modes with a well-defined amplitude. Secondary instability of these modes leads to tilted elevator modes accompanied by horizontal shear flow. For $Pr$=1, where $Pr$ is the Prandtl number, a subsequent subcritical Hopf bifurcation leads to hysteresis behavior between this state and a time-dependent direction-reversing state, followed by a global bifurcation leading to modulated traveling waves without flow reversal. Single-mode equations reproduce this moderate Rayleigh number behavior well. At high Rayleigh numbers, chaotic behavior dominated by modulated traveling waves appears. These transitions are characteristic of high wavenumber elevator modes since the vertical wavenumber of the secondary instability is linearly proportional to the horizontal wavenumber of the elevator mode. At a low $Pr$, relaxation oscillations between the conduction state and the elevator mode appear, followed by quasiperiodic and chaotic behavior as the Rayleigh number increases. In the high $Pr$ regime, the large-scale shear weakens, and the flow shows bursting behavior that can lead to significantly increased heat transport or even intermittent stable stratification.