Related papers: Critical layers and protoplanetary disk turbulence
It has hitherto been widely considered that a mixing layer is unstable at all Reynolds numbers. However this is untenable from energy considerations, which demand that there must exist a non-zero Reynolds number below which disturbances…
This paper continues the systematic investigation of diffusive shear instabilities initiated in Part I of this series. In this work, we primarily focus on quantifying the impact of non-local mixing, which is not taken into account in Zahn's…
Theoretical studies on linear shear instabilities often use simple velocity and density profiles (e.g. constant, piecewise) for obtaining good qualitative and quantitative predictions of the initial disturbances. Furthermore, such simple…
The linear stability of a rotating, stratified, inviscid horizontal plane Couette flow in a channel is studied in the limit of strong rotation and stratification. An energy argument is used to show that unstable perturbations must have…
The dynamics, structure and stability of zonal jets in planetary flows are still poorly understood, especially in terms of coupling with the small-scale turbulent flow. Here, we use an experimental approach to address the questions of zonal…
The Rossby wave instability, associated with density bumps in differentially rotating discs, may arise in several different astrophysical contexts, such as galactic or protoplanetary discs. While the linear phase of the instability has been…
We present a numerical investigation of three-dimensional, short-wavelength linear instabilities in Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) vortices in homogeneous and stratified environments. The base flow, generated using two-dimensional numerical…
The Rossby wave instability (RWI) in non-self-gravitating discs can be triggered by a bump at a radius $r_0$ in the disc surface mass-density (which is proportional to the inverse potential vorticity). It gives rise to a growing…
The Rossby wave instability (RWI) is a promising mechanism for producing large-scale vortices in protoplanetary discs. The instability operates around a density bump in the disc, and the resulting vortices may facilitate planetesimal…
The role of short-wave instabilities on geostrophic turbulence is studied in a simplified model consisting of three layers in the quasi-geostrophic approximation. The linear stability analysis shows that short-wave instabilities are created…
Floquet theory is used to describe the unstable spectrum at large scales of the beta-plane equation linearized about Rossby waves. Base flows consisting of one to three Rossby wave are considered analytically using continued fractions and…
We investigate the 2D instability recently discussed by Gallet et al. (2010) and Ilin \& Morgulis (2013) which arises when a radial crossflow is imposed on a centrifugally-stable swirling flow. By finding a simpler rectilinear example of…
Interfacial instability would be aroused on a spherical liquid droplet when it is subject to external vertical vibration. In this paper, a linear analysis was conducted on this instability problem. The polar-angle dependent acceleration in…
The Holmboe wave instability is one of the classic examples of a stratified shear instability, usually explained as the result of a resonance between a gravity wave and a vorticity wave. Historically, it has been studied by linear stability…
Turbulence and angular momentum transport in accretion disks remains a topic of debate. With the realization that dead zones are robust features of protoplanetary disks, the search for hydrodynamical sources of turbulence continues. A…
Rotational mixing, the key process in stellar evolution, transports angular momentum and chemical elements in stellar radiative zones. In the past two decades, an emphasis has been placed on the turbulent transport induced by the vertical…
The vertical shear instability (VSI) is widely believed to be effective in driving turbulence in protoplanetary disks. Prior studies on VSI exclusively exploit the reflecting boundary conditions (BCs) at the disk surfaces. VSI depends…
Zonal jets in a barotropic setup emerge out of homogeneous turbulence through a flow-forming instability of the homogeneous turbulent state (`zonostrophic instability') which occurs as the turbulence intensity increases. This has been…
The three-dimensional temporal instability of rotating boundary layer flows is investigated by computing classical normal modes as well as by evaluating the transient growth of optimal disturbances. The flows examined are the rotating…
The vertical shear instability (VSI) is a hydrodynamical instability likely to produce turbulence in the dead zones of protoplanetary disks. Various aspects of this instability remain to be understood, including the disk regions where it…