Abstract
The local scale of rotating convection, ℓ, is a
fundamental parameter in many turbulent geophysical and astrophysical
fluid systems, yet it is often poorly constrained. Here we conduct
rotating convection laboratory experiments analogous to convecting flows
in planetary cores and subsurface oceans to obtain measurements of the
local scales of motion. Utilizing silicone oil as the working fluid, we
employ shadowgraph imagery to visualize the flow, from which we extract
values of the characteristic cross-axial scale of convective columns and
plumes. These measurements are compared to the theoretical values of the
critical onset length scale, ℓ_crit, and the
turbulent length scale, ℓ_turb. Our
experimentally-obtained length scale measurements simultaneously agree
with both the onset and turbulent scale predictions across three orders
of magnitude in convective supercriticality
(10^2 ≲ Ra/Ra_c ≲ 10^5),
a correlation that is consistent with inferences made in prior studies.
We further explore the nature of this correlation and its implications
for geophysical and astrophysical systems.