Buoyant melt flows under the influence of steady and rotating magnetic fields

Rotating magnetic fields are of growing interest for crystal growth technologies from the melt. For a few millitesla they provide a controlled motion within the melt, thus controlling the heat and mass transfer and the temperature fluctuations. This paper gives numerical results for the stability thresholds of rotating magnetic field and buoyancy driven melt convections, also by additionally superimposing a steady magnetic field. Some numerical results are given for a possible explanation of the surprising stabilizing action of the rotating magnetic field on a pre-given buoyant flow. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.