Onset of secondary flow in the modulated Taylor-Couette system

The critical Reynolds number for the linear instability of primary flow is calculated for a Taylor-Couette system in which the rotation rate of either cylinder is modulated sinusoidally in time. The method used is based on that of Hall [J. Fluid Mech. 67, 29 (1975)] and is restricted to small amplitudes of modulation but allows for a finite gap. For the case of outer-cylinder modulation, we find that the critical Reynolds number is larger than that for the unmodulated system, while, if the inner cylinder is modulated, it is smaller.