Convective motion in a spherical shell under the influence of a central force has been investigated numerically as a part of the GeoFlow experiment which will run under microgravity conditions on the International Space Station (ISS). An approach combining numerical simulations with a spectral time-stepping code and path-following techniques allows the computation of both stable and unstable solutions of stationary states above the onset of convection. Special attention is paid to the symmetry-breaking properties of the arising patterns which are controlled by subgroups of the full spherical symmetry group. Finally, the transition from the stationary to the time-dependent regime is describe.

Host: Professor Jeff Moehlis