Heat transport in rotating convection without Ekman layers

Abstract: Numerical simulation of rotating convection in plane layers with free slip boundaries show that the convective flows can be classified according to a quantity constructed from the Reynolds, Prandtl and Ekman numbers. Three different flow regimes appear: Laminar flow close to the onset of convection, turbulent flow in which the heat flow approaches the heat flow of non-rotating convection, and an intermediate regime in which the heat flow scales according to a power law independent of thermal diffusivity and kinematic viscosity.