Symmetry-breaking waves and space-time modulation mechanisms in two-dimensional plane Poiseuille flow

Abstract

Two distinct scenarios of spatial modulation in two-dimensional plane Poiseuille flow have been studied. The first one is based on the identification of a new family of asymmetric Tollmien-Schlichting waves (TSW) breaking the reflectional symmetry about the channel midplane. The second follows the fate of a branch of time-periodic space-modulated waves that exclusively bridge upper-branch TSW-trains of different number of replicas by means of a codimension-2 bifurcation point. These modulated waves may therefore play a relevant role in the strange saddle governing domain-filling turbulent dynamics at high Reynolds numbers.