Motivated by astrophysical and geophysical applications, the classical problem of rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection has been widely studied. Assuming a classical Fourier heat law, in which the heat flux is directly proportional to the temperature gradient, the evolution of temperature is governed by a parabolic advection-diffusion equation; this, in turn, implies an infinite speed of propagation of information. In reality, the system is rendered hyperbolic by extending the Fourier law to include an advective derivative of the flux—the Maxwell-Cattaneo (M-C) effect. Although the correction (measured by the parameter
Γ
, a nondimensional representation of the relaxation time) is nominally small, it represents a singular perturbation and hence can lead to significant effects when the rotation rate (measured by the Taylor number
T
) is sufficiently high. In this paper, we investigate the linear stability of rotating convection, incorporating the M-C effect, concentrating on the regime of
T
≫
1
,
Γ
≪
1
. On increasing
Γ
for a fixed
T
≫
1
, the M-C effect first comes into play when
Γ
=
O
(
T
−
1
/
3
)
. Here, as in the classical problem, the preferred mode can be either steady or oscillatory, depending on the value of the Prandtl number
σ
. For
Γ
>
O
(
T
−
1
/
3
)
, the influence of the M-C effect is sufficiently strong that the onset of instability is always oscillatory, regardless of the value of
σ
. Within this regime, the dependence on
σ
of the critical Rayleigh number and of the scale of the preferred mode are explored through the analysis of specific distinguished limits.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)