Phase transitions and marginal ensemble equivalence for freely evolving flows on a rotating sphere

The large-scale circulation of planetary atmospheres like that of the Earth is traditionally thought of in a dynamical framework. Here, we apply the statistical mechanics theory of turbulent flows to a simplified model of the global atmosphere, the quasi-geostrophic model, leading to non-trivial equilibria. Depending on a few global parameters, the structure of the flow may be either a solid-body rotation (zonal flow) or a dipole. A second order phase transition occurs between these two phases, with associated spontaneous symmetry-breaking in the dipole phase. This model allows us to go beyond the general theory of marginal ensemble equivalence through the notion of Goldstone modes.

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