Heat transport in three-layer turbulent thermal convection

The mean temperature profile is measured in a three-layer water-FC77-mercury system (FC77 is a type of Fluorinert electronic liquid). The mean temperature profile is measured across (a) the mercury-FC77 interface and (b) the FC77-water interface. The three-layer system provides slippery boundary conditions for the middle FC77 layer in an otherwise standard Rayleigh-B\'enard convection system. This results in greatly enhanced heat transport across the FC77 layer, both in magnitude and in the scaling exponent with the Rayleigh number Ra.