Transient resonant triads: An examination of turbulent patches injected into finite-width internal wave fields

Abstract

This article presents an experimental investigation into the interaction of a freely evolving turbulent structure with a steadily forced, finite-width internal gravity wave beam. Specifically, a vortex ring is used as the simplified prototype for a propagating turbulent structure and we present an exploration into how it's passage affects the linear stability of the imposed (or forced) wave field. We use the term "vortex ring" to describe an initially axisymmetric, toroidal fluid structure with azimuthal vorticity. We first examine both the vortex ring and the imposed internal gravity wave beam separately and present how they develop in a quiescent, stratified environment. In the absence of any vortex ring, we find—in agreement with many previous studies—there is an amplitude threshold that the wave beam must surpass before it becomes linearly unstable by a process known as triadic resonance instability (TRI). In the absence of an imposed wave field, we present the propagation and collapse of a coherent vortex ring into a turbulent patch, and measure the transient spectrum of internal waves produced. We then combine these two phenomena and investigate how each impacts the other. While we find that the preexisting internal wave beam has no significant influence on the evolution of the incident vortex ring, we do find that the propagation and subsequent collapse of the ring provokes a response from the internal wave beam. This response allows us to demonstrate two key findings relating to the internal wave beams pathway to triadic resonance. First, the passage of a vortex ring propagating through a forced wave field can provide a nonlinear trigger for the transition to a triadic state when the amplitude of the imposed wave field is itself too small for the spontaneous growth of such a triadic state through TRI. Second, we find that in some cases the triadic states induced by this interaction are not self-sustaining and eventually decay, prompting the terminology "transient triads." These surprising findings are further confirmed by the unintentional release of trapped air arising from under our "magic carpet" wavemaker. These air bubbles turbulently propagate vertically through the imposed beam and, in some cases, induce similar triadic state transitions to those of the vortex ring. Our analysis leads to a discussion on the beam's pathway to instability and to question the structure of the underlying dynamical system arising from the distribution of spectral power in a finite-width beam. Published by the American Physical Society 2024