  We report the results of a liquid metal Taylor-Couette experiment in the
Rayleigh-stable regime under the influence of an azimuthal magnetic field. We
observe that the resulting azimuthal magnetorotational instability (AMRI) from
our experimental setup is significantly influenced by the thermal boundary
conditions. Even a minimal radial heat flux leads to a symmetry breaking, which
results in the AMRI waves traveling either upwards or downwards. We identify
the thermal radiation by the central axial current as the heat source
responsible for vertical convection in the liquid. Preliminary numerical
investigations point towards an interaction between AMRI and thermal
convection, which supports our experimental findings.
