On nonlinear overstable convection rolls in a rotating system

Finite amplitude oscillatory convection rolls in the form of travelling waves are studied for a horizontal layer of a low Prandtl number fluid heated from below and rotating rapidly about a vertical axis. The results of the stability and nonlinear analyses indicate that there is no subcritical instability and that the oscillatory rolls are unstable for the ranges of the Prandtl number and the rotation rate considered in this paper.