Related papers: Transient growth in linearly stable Taylor-Couette…
Turbulence in wall-bounded shear flow results from a synergistic interaction between linear non-normality and nonlinearity in which non-normal growth of a subset of perturbations configured to transfer energy from the externally forced…
We analyze a one-dimensional two-scalar fields reaction advection diffusion model for the globally subcritical transition to turbulence. In this model, the homogeneous turbulent state is disconnected from the laminar one and disappears in a…
We use experiments and direct numerical simulations to probe the phase-space of low-curvature Taylor--Couette (TC) flow in the vicinity of the ultimate regime. The cylinder radius ratio is fixed at $\eta=r_i/r_o=0.91$. Non-dimensional shear…
With the aim of providing a first step in the quest for a reduction of the aerodynamic drag on the rear-end of a car, we study the phenomena of separation and reattachment of an incompressible flow focusing on a specific aerodynamic…
The Rayleigh-Taylor instability is a key process in many fields of Physics ranging from astrophysics to inertial confinement fusion. It is usually analyzed deriving the linearized fluid equations, but the physics behind the instability is…
This work analyzes accelerating and decelerating wall-driven flows by quantifying the upper bound of transient energy growth using a Lyapunov-type approach. By formulating the linearized Navier-Stokes equations as a linear time-varying…
We analyze the global transport properties of turbulent Taylor-Couette flow in the strongly turbulent regime for independently rotating outer and inner cylinders, reaching Reynolds numbers of the inner and outer cylinders of Re_i = 2 x 10^6…
For years, astrophysicists, plasma fusion and fluid physicists have puzzled over Rayleigh-Taylor turbulent mixing layers. In particular, strong discrepancies in the growth rates have been observed between experiments and numerical…
In this paper, we obtain the optimal instability threshold of the Couette flow for Navier-Stokes equations with small viscosity $\nu>0$, when the perturbations are in the critical spaces $H^1_xL_y^2$. More precisely, we introduce a new…
The torque in turbulent Taylor-Couette flows for shear Reynolds numbers Re_S up to 3x10^4 at various mean rotations is studied by means of direct numerical simulations for a radius ratio of \eta=0.71. Convergence of simulations is tested…
Hydrodynamic unstratified keplerian flows are known to be linearly stable at all Reynolds numbers, but may nevertheless become turbulent through nonlinear mechanisms. However, in the last ten years, conflicting points of view have appeared…
We perform direct numerical simulations of three dimensional Rayleigh-Taylor turbulence with a nonuniform singular initial temperature background. In such conditions, the mixing layer evolves under the driving of a varying effective Atwood…
We present a reduced model for the transition to turbulence in shear flow that is simple enough to admit a thorough numerical investigation while allowing spatio-temporal dynamics that are substantially more complex than those allowed in…
In this work we numerically demonstrate both significant transient (i.e. non-modal) linear amplification and sustained nonlinear turbulence in a kinetic plasma system with no unstable eigenmodes. The particular system considered is an…
Scaling and structural evolutions are contemplated in a new perspective for turbulent channel flows. The total integrated turbulence kinetic energy remains constant when normalized by the friction velocity squared, while the total…
In the past fifteen years, flow instabilities reminiscent of the Taylor-like instabilities driven by hoop stresses, have been observed in wormlike micelles based on surfactant molecules. In particular, purely elastic instabilities and…
A central obstacle to understanding the route to turbulence in wall-bounded flows is that the flows are composed of complex, highly fluctuating, and strongly nonlinear states. In the case of pipe flow, models have deepened our understanding…
Despite the nonlinear nature of wall turbulence, there is evidence that the energy-injection mechanisms sustaining wall turbulence can be ascribed to linear processes. The different scenarios stem from linear stability theory and comprise…
Laminar shear flows can display large non-modal perturbation growth, often through the lift-up mechansm, and can undergo subcritical transition to turbulence. The process is three-dimensional. Two-dimensional (2D) spanwise-independent…
One of the simplest problems involving external vorticity in boundary layer flows is the flow over a semi-infinite plate under a stream of uniform shear. We study the transient growth phenomenon in this flow to investigate the role of…