Related papers: Oceanic rings and jets as statistical equilibrium …
We use a simple yet Earth-like atmospheric model to propose a new framework for understanding the mathematics of blocking events. Analysing error growth rates along a very long model trajectory, we show that blockings are associated with…
Inertial waves propagate in homogeneous rotating fluids, and constitute a challenging and simplified case study for the broader class of inertio-gravity waves, present in all geophysical and astrophysical media, and responsible for…
We propose a simple method to identify unstable parameter regions in general inviscid unidirectional shear flow stability problems. The theory is applicable to a wide range of basic flows, including those that are non-monotonic. We…
Quasigeostrophic flows are induced by spatial variations in interior potential vorticity and boundary buoyancy. We begin by developing the geostrophic turbulence theory of boundary buoyancy anomalies in a fluid with vanishing potential…
Remarkably persistent mixing and non-mixing regions (islands) are observed to coexist in a three-dimensional dynamical system where randomness is expected. The track of an x-ray opaque particle in a spherical shell half-filled with dry…
Recently it was shown that the centrifugal instability may be important in the dynamics of astrophysical jets undergoing reconfinement by external pressure. However, these studies were limited to the case of unmagnetised flows. Here we…
The orientational dynamics of inertialess anisotropic particles transported by two-dimensional convective turbulent flows display a coexistence of regular and chaotic features. We numerically demonstrate that very elongated particles (rods)…
Ensembles of particles rotating in a two-dimensional fluid can exhibit chaotic dynamics yet develop signatures of hidden order. Such "rotors" are found in the natural world spanning vastly disparate length scales - from the rotor proteins…
We report numerical investigations of wave turbulence in a vibrating plate. The possibility to implement advanced measurement techniques and long time numerical simulations makes this system extremely valuable for wave turbulence studies.…
Giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn feature strong zonal wind patterns on their surfaces. Although several different mechanisms that may drive these jets have been proposed over the last decades, the origin of the zonal winds is still…
According to a recent theory \cite{Li14}, when the Reynolds number is large, fully developed turbulence is caused by short term unpredictability (rough dependence upon initial data); when the Reynolds number is moderate, often transient…
The tangled nodal lines (wave vortices) in random, three-dimensional wavefields are studied as an exemplar of a fractal loop soup. Their statistics are a three-dimensional counterpart to the characteristic random behaviour of nodal domains…
Three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical simulations of strongly magnetized ``light'' conical jets have been performed. An investigation of the transition from sub-Alfv\'enic to super-Alfv\'enic flow has been made for nearly poloidal and for…
Relativistic jets associated with active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts propagate over huge distances without significant loss of momentum. At the same time they are bright emitters, which is indicative of strong energy dissipation.…
A dynamical systems approach to turbulence envisions the flow as a trajectory through a high-dimensional state space transiently visiting the neighbourhoods of unstable simple invariant solutions (E. Hopf, Commun. Appl. Maths 1, 303, 1948).…
We study steady-state properties of inelastic gases in two-dimensions in the presence of an energy source. We generalize previous hydrodynamic treatments to situations where high and low density regions coexist. The theoretical predictions…
The quasi-coherent effects in two-dimensional incompressible turbulence are analyzed starting from the test particle trajectories. They can acquire coherent aspects when the stochastic potential has slow time variation and the motion is not…
Tides represent the daily alternations of high and low waters along coastlines and in oceans, and the current theory (termed the gravitational forcing mechanism) explains them as a manifestation of the response of ocean water to the Moon's…
We study the rotational dynamics of {\it inertial} disks and rods in three-dimensional, homogeneous isotropic turbulence. In particular, we show how the alignment and the decorrelation time-scales of such spheroids depend, critically, on…
I give a highly selective overview of the way statistical mechanics explains the microscopic origins of the time asymmetric evolution of macroscopic systems towards equilibrium and of first order phase transitions in equilibrium. These…