Unidirectional modes induced by nontraditional Coriolis force in stratified fluids

Abstract

Using topology, we unveil the existence of new unidirectional modes in compressible rotating stratified fluids. We relate their emergence to the breaking of time-reversal symmetry by rotation and vertical mirror symmetry by stratification and gravity. We stress the role of the Coriolis force's nontraditional part, induced by a rotation field tangent to the surface. In contrast with horizontally trapped equatorial waves induced by the traditional component of Coriolis force perpendicular to the surface, we find vertically trapped modes that are trapped along interfaces between regions with distinct stratification properties. We show that such modes are generalized atmospheric Lamb waves whose direction of propagation can be selected by the nontraditional component of the Coriolis force.