Laboratory study of spherical convection in simulated central gravity

This work reports the first terrestrial laboratory study of thermal convect ion in a central body-force field. The force field is produced by gradients of magnetic field magnitude imposed on a spherical shell of heated, magnet izable fluid. Cells of thermal convection consistent with the notion of con tinental drift are detected using infrared imaging. Transitions of symmetry for the patterns of convection are observed in the range of Earth's Raylei gh number.