Linear stability analysis of Bénard–Marangoni convection in fluids with a deformable free surface

Linear stability analysis of the Bénard–Marangoni problem in a layer of fluid with a deformable free surface is considered. The analysis is restricted to fixed values of the Prandtl and the Biot numbers in order to determine the role of the Crispation number on convection. For a deformable upper interface both stationary and oscillatory instabilities are obtained. These two kinds of instabilities have been studied separately and the corresponding critical wave numbers kc and critical Rayleigh numbers Rc have been obtained numerically. The conditions under which two stationary states, an overstable mode and stationary mode, or two overstable modes can coexist simultaneously are determined. In the last case the possibility to obtain a strong resonance between two overstable modes is also discussed.