The effect of gravity modulation on thermosolutal convection

In a gravitational field, the opposing effects of components of different diffusivities, for example, temperature and solute, in the density profile in a fluid may produce convective instabilities that exhibit a broad range of dynamical behavior. The effect of time periodic vertical gravity modulation on the onset of these instabilities in an infinite horizontal layer with stress free boundaries is examined. This work is viewed as a first step in expanding previous results in solidification to the full problem of characterizing the effects of gravity modulation in thermosolutal convection during the directional solidification of binary alloys. Calculations carried out both with and without steady background acceleration are presented, the latter results being relevant to microgravity conditions.