Dominant Instability Research Articles

Durability and flexibility of chimpanzee grooming patterns during a period of dominance instability

Growing evidence from studies on primates and other taxa has shown that the maintenance of long-term affiliative patterns influences fitness. Thus, understanding how individuals regulate social interactions in response to environmental and social factors contributes to our understanding of the evolutionary basis of sociality. We investigated the durability of affiliation patterns in chimpanzees across three 3-month periods of varying social uncertainty depending on the degree of stability in the male hierarchy, with a 2-year gap between each period. Periods were unstable (no clear alpha male), recently stable (new alpha male just established) and stable (alpha male in place for 2 years). We focused on three features of social exchange shared by human and non-human primates: consistency of exchanges across periods, durability of preferred partners, and degree of reciprocity in each period. We compared male-to-male, female-to-female, male-to-female, and female-to-male grooming patterns. Overall, more grooming was exchanged in the stable period. Grooming patterns were not consistent across the three periods, but were only consistent between the recently stable and stable periods for female-to-female and male-to-female dyads. As predicted from the opportunistic nature of male relationships, male-to-male grooming was least likely to be correlated across all periods and males had relatively fewer durable (i.e., preferred partners in all periods) same-sex partners than females. Our predictions that grooming reciprocity would be less likely during the unstable period and in male-male dyads were only partially supported. We found grooming reciprocity in all periods for female-female dyads but only in the stable period for male-male and female-male dyads. Although long-term affiliative patterns are well studied in primates, this is the first study to investigate the association between social uncertainty and durability of affiliative patterns. Our findings suggest social uncertainty influences social exchange and highlight the importance of considering group instability in studies of social relationships.

Baroclinic Frontal Instabilities and Turbulent Mixing in the Surface Boundary Layer. Part II: Forced Simulations

AbstractGeneration of ocean surface boundary layer turbulence and coherent roll structures is examined in the context of wind-driven and geostrophic shear associated with horizontal density gradients using a large-eddy simulation model. Numerical experiments over a range of surface wind forcing and horizontal density gradient strengths, combined with linear stability analysis, indicate that the dominant instability mechanism supporting coherent roll development in these simulations is a mixed instability combining shear instability of the ageostrophic, wind-driven flow with symmetric instability of the frontal geostrophic shear. Disruption of geostrophic balance by vertical mixing induces an inertially rotating ageostrophic current, not forced directly by the wind, that initially strengthens the stratification, damps the instabilities, and reduces vertical mixing, but instability and mixing return when the inertial buoyancy advection reverses. The resulting rolls and instabilities are not aligned with the frontal zone, with an oblique orientation controlled by the Ekman-like instability. Mean turbulence is enhanced when the winds are destabilizing relative to the frontal orientation, but mean Ekman buoyancy advection is found to be relatively unimportant in these simulations. Instead, the mean turbulent kinetic energy balance is dominated by mechanical shear production that is enhanced when the wind-driven shear augments the geostrophic shear, while the resulting vertical mixing nearly eliminates any effective surface buoyancy flux from near-surface, cold-to-warm, Ekman buoyancy advection.

Electronic properties, low-energy Hamiltonian, and superconducting instabilities in CaKFe4As4

We analyze the electronic properties of the recently discovered stoichiometric superconductor CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ by combining an ab initio approach and a projection of the band structure to a lowenergy tight-binding Hamiltonian, based on the maximally localized Wannier orbitals of the 3d Fe states. We identify the key symmetries as well as differences and similarities in the electronic structure between CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ and the parent systems CaFe$_2$As$_2$ and KFe$_2$As$_2$. In particular, we find CaKFe4As4 to have a significantly more quasi-two-dimensional electronic structure than the latter systems. Finally, we study the superconducting instabilities in CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ by employing the leading angular harmonics approximation (LAHA) and find two potential A$_{1g}$-symmetry representation of the superconducting gap to be the dominant instabilities in this system.

Do cognition and other non-motor symptoms decline similarly among patients with Parkinson's disease motor subtypes? Findings from a 5-year prospective study.

Among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), a wide range of motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS) are evident. PD is often divided into tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) motor subtypes. We evaluated the effect of disease duration and aimed to characterize whether there are differences in the deterioration of cognitive function and other NMS between the PIGD and TD subtypes. Sixty-three subjects were re-evaluated at the follow-up visit about 5years after baseline examination. Cognitive function and other NMS were assessed. At follow-up, the PIGD and TD groups were similar with respect to medications, comorbidities and disease-related symptoms. There was a significant time effect for all measures, indicating deterioration and worsening in both groups. However, cognitive scores, particularly those related to executive function, became significantly worse in the PIGD with a more moderate decrease in the TD group. For example, the computerized global cognitive score declined in the PIGD group from 94.21±11.88 to 83.91±13.76, p<0.001. This decline was significantly larger (p=0.03) than the decrease observed in the TD group (96.56±10.29 to 92.21±14.20, p=0.047). A significant group×time interaction effect was found for the change in global cognitive score (p=0.047), the executive function index (p=0.002) and accuracy on a motor-cognitive catch game (p=0.008). In contrast, several NMS including depression, health-related quality of life and fear of falling deteriorated in parallel in both subtypes, with no interaction effect. The present findings highlight the difference in the natural history of the disease between the two PD "motor" subtypes. While the PIGD group demonstrated a significant cognitive decline, especially in executive functions, a more favorable course was observed in the TD subtype. This behavior was not seen in regards to the other NMS.

Bank instability along a weir pool of the River Murray

ABSTRACTRiver banks are an important transition zone between aquatic and terrestrial environments. This ecotone is highly vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Bank erosion is a common occurrence along the River Murray. Morphological features reflecting river bank instability form a near-continuous pattern along large tracts of the river. This study investigates the character and extent of bank instability along the Torrumbarry Weir Pool. Over 90% of the bank length in this weir pool was assessed as being actively eroding. Notch development was the dominant instability mechanism and it promoted other forms of bank instability. Erosion notches result from stable water levels and inherent soil instability of the river banks along the weir pool. The character and extent of river bank erosion recorded along this section of the River Murray is an artefact of flow regulation and not a reflection of the natural occurrence of bank erosion in river networks. Water level management in the upstream weir pool has significant implications for the management of river banks along regulated reaches of the River Murray.

Thermodynamic coupling between gradient elasticity and a Cahn–Hilliard type of diffusion: size-dependent spinodal gaps

In the electrode materials of lithium ion batteries, the large variations of Li concentration during the charge and discharge processes are often accompanied by phase separations to lithium-rich and lithium-poor states. In particular, when the composition of the material moves into the spinodal region (linearly unstable uniform compositions) or into the miscibility gap (metastable uniform compositions), it tends to decompose spontaneously under composition fluctuations. If the lattice mismatch of the two phases is not negligible, coherency strains arise affecting the decomposition process. Furthermore, when the dimensions of a specimen or a grain reduce down to the nanometer level, the phase transition mechanisms are also substantially influenced by the domain size. This size effect is interpreted in the present article by developing a thermodynamically consistent model of gradient elastodiffusion. The proposed formulation is based on the coupling of the standard Cahn–Hilliard type of diffusion and a simple gradient elasticity model that includes the gradient of volumetric strain in the expression of the Helmholtz free energy density. An initial boundary value problem is derived in terms of concentration and displacement fields, and linear stability analysis is employed to determine the contribution of concentration and strain gradient terms on the instability leading to spinodal decomposition. It is shown that the theoretical predictions are in accordance with the experimental trends, i.e., the spinodal concentration range shrinks (i.e., the tendency for phase separation is reduced) as the crystal size decreases. Moreover, depending on the interplay between the strain and the concentration gradient coefficients, the spinodal region can be completely suppressed below a critical crystal size. Spinodal characteristic length and time are also evaluated by considering the dominant instability mode during the primary stages of the decomposition process, and it is found that they are increasing functions of the strain gradient coefficient.

Novel Method for Investigating Broadband Velocity Fluctuations in Axisymmetric Screeching Jets

The noise spectrum of screeching jets consists of broadband and discrete components referred to as turbulent mixing noise and screech tones, respectively. The screech tones make the application of classical noise models to screeching jets difficult for modern problems. These problems involve an additional treatment of the near-field dynamics before the broadband noise prediction schemes can be implemented. This paper proposes an a posteriori approach for studying the velocity fluctuations associated with the broadband turbulent mixing noise in screeching jets. The broadband and screeching fluctuations associated with the broadband and discrete noise components are calculated using proper orthogonal decomposition to decouple the velocity variables. The methodology is demonstrated on velocity fields of screeching jets measured with high-resolution particle image velocimetry. Jets dominated by the precessing flapping (B) and helical (C) instability screech modes are considered, which correspond to ideally expanded Mach numbers of , 1.45, and 1.59, respectively. Axially averaged spatial wavelength spectra of the broadband velocity fluctuations are compared to illustrate the decomposition. The proper-orthogonal-decomposition-based approach is shown to be highly dependent upon the dominant instability regime of the jets. Further analysis shows that the integral length scales of the broadband velocity fluctuations normalized by the incompressible momentum thickness in the screeching jets considered agree well with values reported in studies on nonscreeching jets despite the absolute values differing.

Understanding the impact of insulating and conducting endplate boundary conditions on turbulence in CSDX through nonlocal simulations

The Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment (CSDX) linear plasma device provides a unique platform for investigating the underlying physics of self-regulating drift-wave turbulence/zonal flow dynamics. A minimal model of 3D drift-reduced nonlocal cold ion fluid equations which evolves density, vorticity, and electron temperature fluctuations, with proper sheath boundary conditions, is used to simulate dynamics of the turbulence in CSDX and its response to changes in parallel boundary conditions. These simulations are carried out using the BOUndary Turbulence (BOUT++) framework and use equilibrium electron density and temperature profiles taken from experimental measurements. The results show that density gradient-driven drift-waves are the dominant instability in CSDX. However, the choice of insulating or conducting endplate boundary conditions affects the linear growth rates and energy balance of the system due to the absence or addition of Kelvin-Helmholtz modes generated by the sheath-driven equilibrium E × B shear and sheath-driven temperature gradient instability. Moreover, nonlinear simulation results show that the boundary conditions impact the turbulence structure and zonal flow formation, resulting in less broadband (more quasi-coherent) turbulence and weaker zonal flow in conducting boundary condition case. These results are qualitatively consistent with earlier experimental observations.

Experimental evidence of ion-induced instabilities in the NSLS-II storage ring

Fast ion instability has been identified as one of the most prominent instabilities in the recently constructed NSLS-II storage ring at Brookhaven National Laboratory. At a relatively low beam current (~ 25mA) multi-bunch fills, ion-induced instabilities have already been observed during the early stages of machine commissioning. At present user operation with 250mA in ~1000 bunches, the fast ion still remains the dominant instability, even after months of vacuum conditioning at high current. Ion-induced dipole motions of the electron beam have been suppressed using the transverse bunch-by-bunch (BxB) feedback system. However other adverse effects of this instability, such as the vertical beam size increase along the bunch train cannot be cured by the feedback system. Therefore, to achieve the NSLS-II design current of 500mA while maintaining a small vertical beam emittance, it is important to further understand the fast ion instability and develop mitigation techniques. This paper reports on a series of ion-instability observations at various fill patterns and beam currents using start-of-art NSLS-II diagnostic tools.

Effects of toroidal rotation on electron heat transport via changes in inertial force and impurity density

Two types of JT-60U discharges are studied with an emphasis on toroidal rotation: in one discharge, which is characterized by the existence of an internal transport barrier (ITB), electron heat transport in the core region is affected by the toroidal rotation direction, while in the other discharge, which is a conventional H-mode plasma without an ITB, the clear correlation between the toroidal rotation direction and electron heat transport is not observed. In both discharges, the impurity density is also found to vary together with the rotation velocity profile. With a flux-tube gyrokinetic code, we have found that the effects of the changes in the rotation velocity profile and the impurity density on electron heat transport are different between these discharges. Including the effects explains the tendency observed in the experiments. First, regarding the rotation velocity profile, which influences heat transport through the inertial force, the dependence of heat transport on the rotation direction changes, according to the gradient of the rotation velocity. Next, an increase in the impurity density stabilizes the ion temperature gradient mode, but can destabilize the trapped electron mode. Therefore, it is found that the difference in the impact of the impurity density on electron heat transport in these discharges can be attributed to the difference in the dominant instability.

Curvature instability of a curved Batchelor vortex

In this paper, we analyse the curvature instability of a curved Batchelor vortex. We consider this short-wavelength instability when the radius of curvature of the vortex centreline is large compared with the vortex core size. In this limit, the curvature instability can be interpreted as a resonant phenomenon. It results from the resonant coupling of two Kelvin modes of the underlying Batchelor vortex with the dipolar correction induced by curvature. The condition of resonance of the two modes is analysed in detail as a function of the axial jet strength of the Batchelor vortex. In contrast to the Rankine vortex, only a few configurations involving $m=0$ and $m=1$ modes are found to become the most unstable. The growth rate of the resonant configurations is systematically computed and used to determine the characteristics of the most unstable mode as a function of the curvature ratio, the Reynolds number and the axial flow parameter. The competition of the curvature instability with another short-wavelength instability, which was considered in a companion paper (Blanco-Rodríguez &amp; Le Dizès, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 804, 2016, pp. 224–247), is analysed for a vortex ring. A numerical error found in this paper, which affects the relative strength of the elliptic instability, is also corrected. We show that the curvature instability becomes the dominant instability in large rings as soon as axial flow is present (vortex ring with swirl).

Proton fire hose instabilities in the expanding solar wind

Using two-dimensional hybrid expanding box simulations we study the competition between the continuously driven parallel proton temperature anisotropy and fire hose instabilities in collisionless homogeneous plasmas. For a quasi-radial ambient magnetic field the expansion drives $T_{p\Vert }&gt;T_{p\bot }$ and the system becomes eventually unstable with respect to the dominant parallel fire hose instability. This instability is generally unable to counteract the induced anisotropization and the system typically becomes unstable with respect to the oblique fire hose instability later on. The oblique instability efficiently reduces the anisotropy and the system rapidly stabilizes, while a significant part of the generated electromagnetic fluctuations is damped to protons. As long as the magnetic field is in the quasi-radial direction, this evolution repeats itself and the electromagnetic fluctuations accumulate. For a sufficiently oblique magnetic field the expansion drives $T_{p\bot }&gt;T_{p\Vert }$ and brings the system to the stable region with respect to the fire hose instabilities.

Linear instability of low Reynolds number massively separated flow around three NACA airfoils

Two- and three-dimensional modal and non-modal instability mechanisms of steady spanwise-homogeneous laminar separated flow over airfoil profiles, placed at large angles of attack against the oncoming flow, have been investigated using global linear stability theory. Three NACA profiles of distinct thickness and camber were considered in order to assess geometry effects on the laminar–turbulent transition paths discussed. At the conditions investigated, large-scale steady separation occurs, such that Tollmien–Schlichting and cross-flow mechanisms have not been considered. It has been found that the leading modal instability on all three airfoils is that associated with the Kelvin–Helmholtz mechanism, taking the form of the eigenmodes known from analysis of generic bluff bodies. The three-dimensional stationary eigenmode of the two-dimensional laminar separation bubble, associated in earlier analyses with the formation on the airfoil surface of large-scale separation patterns akin to stall cells, is shown to be more strongly damped than the Kelvin–Helmholtz mode at all conditions examined. Non-modal instability analysis reveals the potential of the flows considered to sustain transient growth which becomes stronger with increasing angle of attack and Reynolds number. Optimal initial conditions have been computed and found to be analogous to those on a cascade of low pressure turbine blades. By changing the time horizon of the analysis, these linear optimal initial conditions have been found to evolve into the Kelvin–Helmholtz mode. The time-periodic base flows ensuing linear amplification of the Kelvin–Helmholtz mode have been analysed via temporal Floquet theory. Two amplified modes have been discovered, having characteristic spanwise wavelengths of approximately 0.6 and 2 chord lengths, respectively. Unlike secondary instabilities on the circular cylinder, three-dimensional short-wavelength perturbations are the first to become linearly unstable on all airfoils. Long-wavelength perturbations are quasi-periodic, standing or travelling-wave perturbations that also become unstable as the Reynolds number is further increased. The dominant short-wavelength instability gives rise to spanwise periodic wall-shear patterns, akin to the separation cells encountered on airfoils at low angles of attack and the stall cells found in flight at conditions close to stall. Thickness and camber have quantitative but not qualitative effect on the secondary instability analysis results obtained.

Compressibility effects on the first global instability mode of the vortex formed in a regularized lid-driven cavity flow

Abstract The effect of compressibility on the stability of a two-dimensional (2D) lid-driven cavity flow was investigated using a global linear stability analysis in this study. In a previous study, Bergamo et al. (2015) [12] revealed that compressibility has a stabilizing effect on dominant instability modes of this flow. However, the detailed mechanism of this stabilization effect has not been elucidated. The present study focused on the mechanism of this stabilizing effect on the first instability mode which causes a periodic oscillation to a primary vortex formed in the cavity. Our results show that the compressibility has a stabilizing effect on this flow due to the baroclinic torque and vorticity-dilatation term which appear in the vorticity transport equation. The distribution of these terms show that the vorticity-dilatation effect suppresses the changes in the perturbed vorticity (i.e., stabilizes the flow), and the baroclinic torque deforms the perturbed vorticity distribution. Furthermore, the effect of baroclinic torque was quantitatively estimated by solving the forced compressible stability problem in which the corresponding linearized equations are artificially forced to cancel the baroclinic torque. The results clearly show that the baroclinic torque decreases the growth rate of the first instability mode. However, the quantitatively estimated variation in the critical Reynolds number caused by the baroclinic torque indicates this term is not the most dominant mechanism of the stabilization effect and dilatation effects would be more significant.

Instabilities of Weyl loop semimetals

We study Weyl-loop semi-metals with short range interactions, focusing on the possible interaction driven instabilities. We introduce an ϵ expansion regularization scheme by means of which the possible instabilities may be investigated in an unbiased manner through a controlled weak coupling renormalization group (RG) calculation. The problem has enough structure that a ‘functional’ RG calculation (necessary for an extended Fermi surface) can be carried out analytically. The leading instabilities are identified, and when there are competing degenerate instabilities a Landau–Ginzburg calculation is performed to determine the most likely phase. In the particle-particle channel, the leading instability is found to be to a fully gapped chiral superconducting phase which spontaneously breaks time reversal symmetry, in agreement with general symmetry arguments suggesting that Weyl loops should provide natural platforms for such exotic forms of superconductivity. In the particle hole channel, there are two potential instabilities—to a gapless Pomeranchuk phase which spontaneously breaks rotation symmetry, or to a fully gapped insulating phase which spontaneously breaks mirror symmetry. The dominant instability in the particle hole channel depends on the specific values of microscopic interaction parameters.

Boundary-Layer Stability Analysis for Stetson’s Mach 6 Blunt-Cone Experiments

The results of a seminal experimental study of the effects of bluntness and swallowing length on transition on an 8 deg cone at zero angle of attack in Mach 6 high-Reynolds-number flow are analyzed with the STABL-2D computational fluid dynamics code package. Mean flow solutions and parabolized stability analyses for a total of 11 different nose-tip bluntnesses, ranging from sharp to a 15.24 mm radius, are obtained. For the sharpest cases, the factor at transition is approximately seven; but, as bluntness increases and the calculated swallowing distance lengthens, the computed factor at the experimentally observed transition location drops below the level at which Mack’s second mode would be expected to lead to transition. These results indicate that the dominant instability mechanism for the bluntest cases is not the second mode, and oblique mode analysis also excludes these modes as the dominant instability mechanism.

Stability of viscosity stratified flows down an incline: Role of miscibility and wall slip

The effects of wall velocity slip on the linear stability of a gravity-driven miscible two-fluid flow down an incline are examined. The fluids have the matched density but different viscosity. A smooth viscosity stratification is achieved due to the presence of a thin mixed layer between the fluids. The results show that the presence of slip exhibits a promise for stabilizing the miscible flow system by raising the critical Reynolds number at the onset and decreasing the bandwidth of unstable wave numbers beyond the threshold of the dominant instability. This is different from its role in the case of a single fluid down a slippery substrate where slip destabilizes the flow system at the onset. Though the stability properties are analogous to the same flow system down a rigid substrate, slip is shown to delay the surface mode instability for any viscosity contrast. It has a damping/promoting effect on the overlap modes (which exist due to the overlap of critical layer of dominant disturbance with the mixed layer) when the mixed layer is away/close from/to the slippery inclined wall. The trend of slip effect is influenced by the location of the mixed layer, the location of more viscous fluid, and the mass diffusivity of the two fluids. The stabilizing characteristics of slip can be favourably used to suppress the non-linear breakdown which may happen due to the coexistence of the unstable modes in a flow over a substrate with no slip. The results of the present study suggest that it is desirable to design a slippery surface with appropriate slip sensitivity in order to meet a particular need for a specific application.

Instability of the interface in two-layer flows with large viscosity contrast at small Reynolds numbers

The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability is believed to be the dominant instability mechanism for free shear flows at large Reynolds numbers. At small Reynolds numbers, a new instability mode is identified when the temporal instability of parallel viscous two fluid mixing layers is extended to current-fluid mud systems by considering a composite error function velocity profile. The new mode is caused by the large viscosity difference between the two fluids. This interfacial mode exists when the fluid mud boundary layer is sufficiently thin. Its performance is different from that of the Kelvin–Helmholtz mode. This mode has not yet been reported for interface instability problems with large viscosity contrasts. These results are essential for further stability analysis of flows relevant to the breaking up of this type of interface.

Effect of fast electrons on the stability of resistive interchange modes in the TJ-II stellarator

In this paper, we report on electromagnetic phenomena in low-β plasmas at the TJ-II stellarator, controlled by external heating. To understand the observations qualitatively, we introduce a simple modification of the standard resistive MHD equations, to include the potential impact of fast electrons on instabilities. The dominant instabilities of the modeling regime are resistive interchange modes, and calculations are performed in a configuration with similar characteristics as the TJ-II stellarator. The main effect of the trapping of fast electrons by magnetic islands induced by MHD instabilities is to increase the magnetic component of the fluctuations, changing the character of the instability to tearing-like and modifying the frequency of the modes. These effects seem to be consistent with some of the experimental observations.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Time Evolution and Instability of Highly Underexpanded Sonic Jets

High-pressure jet injection into quiescent air is a challenging fluid dynamics problem in the field of aerospace engineering. Although plenty of experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies have been conducted to explore this flow, there is a dearth of literature detailing the flow evolution and instability characteristics, which is vital to the mixing enhancement design and jet noise reduction. In this paper, a density-based solver for compressible supersonic flow, astroFoam, is developed based on the OpenFOAM library. Large-eddy simulations of highly underexpanded jets with nozzle pressure ratios from 5.60 to 11.21 at a Reynolds number around are carried out with a high-resolution grid. A grid-convergence study has been conducted to confirm the fidelity of the large-eddy simulation results. The large-eddy simulation results have also been validated against available literature data in terms of the time-averaged near-field properties of underexpanded jets. The turbulent transition processes are revealed based on the instantaneous flow features and are quantitatively resolved according to the jet penetration and maximum width. The vorticity analysis is conducted to understand the turbulent transition mechanism, and it is found that the vortex stretching term plays a leading role on the distortion of the vortex rings in the near field of the jets. The dominant instability modes of jets, visualized by helicity, are quantitatively revealed based on the spectrum and relative phase of pressure fluctuation. The single helical modes corresponding to a phase angle close to with the helices are dominant for nozzle pressure ratios of 5.60 and 7.47, whereas the complex and multiple helices for the other two higher nozzle pressure ratios are due to the superposition of the single and double helical modes. In addition, the performance of the coarse mesh and different subgrid-scale models on capturing the dominant instability characteristics in large-eddy simulation of underexpanded jets is investigated.