Exact Coherent States Research Articles

Data-driven state-space and Koopman operator models of coherent state dynamics on invariant manifolds

The accurate simulation of complex dynamics in fluid flows demands a substantial number of degrees of freedom, i.e. a high-dimensional state space. Nevertheless, the swift attenuation of small-scale perturbations due to viscous diffusion permits in principle the representation of these flows using a significantly reduced dimensionality. Over time, the dynamics of such flows evolves towards a finite-dimensional invariant manifold. Using only data from direct numerical simulations, in the present work we identify the manifold and determine evolution equations for the dynamics on it. We use an advanced autoencoder framework to automatically estimate the intrinsic dimension of the manifold and provide an orthogonal coordinate system. Then, we learn the dynamics by determining an equation on the manifold by using both a function-space approach (approximating the Koopman operator) and a state-space approach (approximating the vector field on the manifold). We apply this method to exact coherent states for Kolmogorov flow and minimal flow unit pipe flow. Fully resolved simulations for these cases require $O(10^3)$ and $O(10^5)$ degrees of freedom, respectively, and we build models with two or three degrees of freedom that faithfully capture the dynamics of these flows. For these examples, both the state-space and function-space time evaluations provide highly accurate predictions of the long-time dynamics in manifold coordinates.

Effects of a spanwise magnetic field on the exact coherent states in a channel flow

The primary objective of this study is to examine the effect of a uniformly constant spanwise magnetic field on exact coherent states and their structures in channel flow. Exact coherent states represent nonlinear solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations, bearing significant importance in the prediction and control of flow with and without magnetic field. Despite the recent extensive research which have reported the influences of magnetic fields with respect to fluid dynamics, the specific effect of a spanwise magnetic field on the exact coherent states remain ambiguous. To investigate the influence of magnetic field on exact coherent states in channel flow, our study encompasses Reynolds numbers ranging from 3000 to 10 000, with variations in the size of computational domains. High-precision direct numerical simulations, coupled with a Fourier–Chebyshev spatial pseudospectra discretization, are employed to solve the governing equations under the assumption of low magnetic Reynolds number. Starting from laminar flow, we utilize a bisection method on the amplitude of perturbations to track the exact coherent states in the channel. In a smaller computational domain 2π × 2.4 × 2, the spanwise magnetic field expedites the self-sustaining process of exact coherent structures, accelerating the transition from streamwise vortices to streamwise streaks. In a larger computational domain, the exact coherent states are bifurcated from relative periodic orbit solutions to traveling wave solutions. Furthermore, as the spanwise computational domain expands, localization coherent structures persist and steadily propagate downstream in the channel.

New class of exact coherent states: Enhanced quantization of motion on the half line

New class of exact coherent states: Enhanced quantization of motion on the half line

Effect of normal magnetic field on the exact coherent state of channel flow at large Reynolds number

Laminar-turbulent subcritical transition has been always a hot issue in fluid mechanics. Exact coherent states are important for predicting the path of transition and understanding the cycle of turbulent self-sustaining process. One of the most common methods of investigating subcritical transition is dynamical system method and many different forms of invariant solutions have been obtained in many shear flows. In order to study the effect of magnetic field on the exact coherent state of channel flow at large Reynolds number, the direct numerical simulation combined with bisection method is used to calculate the exact coherent state-periodic orbit solution with different magnetic field strength at Re ⩾ 9000, and the structure and morphology in the flow field are compared. The results show that the magnetic field strength does not change the structure and shape of the solution and the scaling law between the transition threshold and Reynolds number does not change significantly, which shows obviously self-similarity. As the magnetic field strength increases, the period of the exact coherent state decreases and the perturbation energy in each direction exhibits periodical oscillation changes. In addition the shape of the amplitude curve also changes due to the magnetic field effect. The above results show that the magnetic field has a certain inhibition effect on the disturbance at large Reynolds number, and the flow field remains relatively stable.

Exact solution and coherent states of an asymmetric oscillator with position-dependent mass

We revisit the problem of the deformed oscillator with position-dependent mass [da Costa et al., J. Math. Phys. 62, 092101 (2021)] in the classical and quantum formalisms by introducing the effect of the mass function in both kinetic and potential energies. The resulting Hamiltonian is mapped into a Morse oscillator by means of a point canonical transformation from the usual phase space (x, p) to a deformed one (xγ, Πγ). Similar to the Morse potential, the deformed oscillator presents bound trajectories in phase space corresponding to an anharmonic oscillatory motion in classical formalism and, therefore, bound states with a discrete spectrum in quantum formalism. On the other hand, open trajectories in phase space are associated with scattering states and continuous energy spectrum. Employing the factorization method, we investigate the properties of the coherent states, such as the time evolution and their uncertainties. A fast localization, classical and quantum, is reported for the coherent states due to the asymmetrical position-dependent mass. An oscillation of the time evolution of the uncertainty relationship is also observed, whose amplitude increases as the deformation increases.

Dynamics-based machine learning of transitions in Couette flow

We derive low-dimensional, data-driven models for transitions among exact coherent states (ECSs) in one of the most studied canonical shear flows, the plane Couette flow. These one- or two-dimensional nonlinear models represent the leading-order reduced dynamics on attracting spectral submanifolds (SSMs), which we construct using the recently developed SSMLearn algorithm from a small number of simulated transitions. We find that the energy input and output rates provide efficient parametrizations for the most important SSMs. By restricting the dynamics to these SSMs, we obtain reduced-order models that also reliably predict nearby, off-SSM transitions that were not used in their training.

Exact coherent states in plane Couette flow under spanwise wall oscillation

A set of several exact coherent states in plane Couette flow is computed under spanwise wall oscillation control, with a range of wall oscillation amplitudes and periods $({A_w}, T)$ . It is found that the wall oscillation generally stabilises the upper branch of the equilibrium solutions and achieves the corresponding drag reduction, while it influences modestly the lower branch. The stabilisation effect is found to increase with the oscillation amplitude with an optimal time period around ${T^{+}} \approx 100$ . The exact coherent states reproduce some key dynamical behaviours of streaks observed in previous studies, while exhibiting the rich coherent structure dynamics that cannot be extracted from a phase average of turbulent states. Visualisation of state portraits shows that the size of the state space supporting turbulent solution is reduced by the spanwise wall oscillation, and the upper-branch equilibrium solutions become less repelling, with many of their unstable manifolds being stabilised. This change of the state space dynamics leads to a significant reduction in lifetime of turbulence. Finally, the main stabilisation mechanism of the exact coherent states is found to be the suppression of the lift-up effect of streaks, explaining why previous linear analyses have been so successful for turbulence stabilisation modelling and the resulting drag reduction.

Minimum-uncertainty coherent states of the hyperbolic and trigonometric Rosen\u2013Morse oscillators

A mixed supersymmetric-algebraic approach is employed to generate the minimum uncertainty coherent states of the hyperbolic and trigonometric Rosen–Morse oscillators. The method proposed produces the superpotentials, ground state eigenfunctions and associated eigenvalues as well as the Schrödinger equation in the factorized form amenable to direct treatment in the algebraic or supersymmetric scheme. In the standard approach the superpotentials are calculated by solution of the Riccati equation for the given form of potential energy function or by differentiation of the ground state eigenfunction. The procedure applied is general and permits derivation the exact analytical solutions and coherent states for the most important model oscillators employed in molecular quantum chemistry, coherent spectroscopy (femtochemistry) and coherent nonlinear optics.

Exact Coherent States and the Nonlinear Dynamics of Wall-Bounded Turbulent Flows

Wall-bounded turbulence exhibits patterns that persist in time and space: coherent structures. These are important for transport processes and form a conceptual framework for important theoretical approaches. Key observed structures include quasi-streamwise and hairpin vortices, as well as the localized spots and puffs of turbulence observed during transition. This review describes recent research on so-called exact coherent states (ECS) in wall-bounded parallel flows at Reynolds numbers Re [Formula: see text] 104; these are nonturbulent, nonlinear solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations that in many cases resemble coherent structures in turbulence. That is, idealized versions of many of these structures exist as distinct, self-sustaining entities. ECS are saddle points in state space and form, at least in part, the state space skeleton of the turbulent dynamics. While most work on ECS focuses on Newtonian flow, some advances have been made on the role of ECS in turbulent drag reduction in polymer solutions. Emerging directions include applications to control and connections to large-scale structures and the attached eddy model.

A self-sustaining process theory for uniform momentum zones and internal shear layers in high Reynolds number shear flows

Abstract

Interaction of forced Orr-Sommerfeld and Squire modes in a low-order representation of turbulent channel flow

A resolvent-based reduced-order representation is used to capture time-averaged second-order statistics in turbulent channel flow. The recently-proposed decomposition of the resolvent operator into two distinct families related to the Orr-Sommerfeld and Squire operators [K. Rosenberg and B. J. McKeon, Efficient representation of exact coherent states of the Navier-Stokes equations using resolvent analysis, Fluid Dynamics Research 51, 011401 (2019)] results in dramatic improvement in the ability to match all components of the energy spectra and the $uv$ cospectrum. The success of the new representation relies on the ability of the Squire modes to compete with the vorticity generated by Orr-Sommerfeld modes, which is demonstrated by decomposing the statistics into contributions from each family. It is then shown that this competition can be used to infer a phase relationship between the two sets of modes. Additionally, the relative Reynolds number scalings for the two families of resolvent weights are derived for the universal classes of resolvent modes presented by Moarref et al. [R. Moarref, A. S. Sharma, J. A. Tropp, and B. J. McKeon, Model-based scaling of the streamwise energy density in high-Reynolds-number turbulent channels, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 734, 275 (2013)]. These developments can be viewed as a starting point for further modeling efforts to quantify nonlinear interactions in wall-bounded turbulence.

Basis for finding exact coherent states.

One of the outstanding problems in the dynamical systems approach to turbulence is to find a sufficient number of invariant solutions to characterize the underlying dynamics of turbulence [Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 44, 203 (2012)10.1146/annurev-fluid-120710-101228]. As a practical matter, the solutions can be difficult to find. To improve this situation, we show how to find periodic orbits and equilibria in plane Couette flow by projecting pseudorecurrent segments of turbulent trajectories onto the left-singular vectors of the Navier-Stokes equations linearized about the relevant mean flow (resolvent modes). The projections are, subsequently, used to initiate Newton-Krylov-hookstep searches, and new (relative) periodic orbits and equilibria are discovered. We call the process project-then-search and validate the process by first applying it to previously known fixed point and periodic solutions. Along the way, we find new branches of equilibria, which include bifurcations from previously known branches, and new periodic orbits that closely shadow turbulent trajectories in state space.

Computing exact coherent states in channels starting from the laminar profile: A resolvent-based approach

We present an iterative method to compute traveling wave exact coherent states (ECS) in Couette and Poiseuille flows starting from an initial laminar profile. The approach utilizes the resolvent operator for a two-dimensional, three-component streamwise-averaged mean and exploits the underlying physics of the self-sustaining process. A singular value decomposition of the resolvent operator is used to obtain the mode shape for a single streamwise-varying Fourier mode. The self-interaction of the single mode is computed and used to generate an updated mean velocity input to the resolvent operator. The process is repeated until a nearly neutrally stable mean flow that self-sustains is obtained, as defined by suitable convergence criteria; the results are further verified with direct numerical simulation. The approach requires the specification of only two unknown parameters: the wave speed and amplitude of the mode. It is demonstrated that within as few as three iterations, the initial one-dimensional laminar field can be transformed into three-dimensional ECS.

Restricted nonlinear model for high- and low-drag events in plane channel flow

A restricted nonlinear (RNL) model, obtained by partitioning the state variables into streamwise-averaged quantities and superimposed perturbations, is used in order to track the exact coherent state in plane channel flow investigated by Toh & Itano (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 481, 2003, pp. 67–76). When restricting nonlinearities to quadratic interaction of the fluctuating part into the streamwise-averaged component, it is shown that the coherent structure and its dynamics closely match results from direct numerical simulation (DNS), even if only a single streamwise Fourier mode is retained. In particular, both solutions exhibit long quiescent phases, spanwise shifts and bursting events. It is also shown that the dynamical trajectory passes close to equilibria that exhibit either low- or high-drag states. When statistics are collected at times where the friction velocity peaks, the mean flow and root-mean-square profiles show the essential features of wall turbulence obtained by DNS for the same friction Reynolds number. For low-drag events, the mean flow profiles are related to a universal asymptotic state called maximum drag reduction (Xi & Graham, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 108, 2012, 028301). Hence, the intermittent nature of self-sustaining processes in the buffer layer is contained in the dynamics of the RNL model, organized in two exact coherent states plus an asymptotic turbulent-like attractor. We also address how closely turbulent dynamics approaches these equilibria by exploiting a DNS database associated with a larger domain.

Efficient representation of exact coherent states of the Navier–Stokes equations using resolvent analysis

A resolvent analysis of exact coherent states (ECS) of the Navier–Stokes equations (NSE) in a low Reynolds number channel is performed. The resolvent framework recasts the NSE into an input/output form in which the nonlinear term is treated as an internal forcing that drives the linear dynamics of the system. The framework has previously shown promise with regards to producing low-dimensional representations of ECS; here, we show that a componentwise analysis of the resolvent operator along with a Helmholtz decomposition of the nonlinear term reveals a simplified input/output form that clearly identifies and isolates the contributions of particular solenoidal forcing components to velocity/vorticity outputs. This new approach leads to an improved method for compact representations of ECS for both forcing and response fields, and establishes interesting connections to Orr–Sommerfeld/Squire modes in a nonlinear context.

Quasilinear approximation for exact coherent states in parallel shear flows

In the quasilinear approximation to the Navier–Stokes equation a minimal set of nonlinearities that is able to maintain turbulent dynamics is kept. For transitional Reynolds numbers, exact coherent structures provide an opportunity for a detailed comparison between full direct numerical solutions of the Navier–Stokes equation with their quasilinear approximation. We show here, for both plane Couette flow and plane Poiseuille flow, that the quasilinear approximation is able to reproduce many properties of exact coherent structures. For higher Reynolds numbers differences in the stability properties and the friction values for the upper branch appear that are connected with a reduction in the number of downstream wavenumbers in the quasilinear approximation. The results show the strengths and limitations of the quasilinear approximation and suggest modelling approaches for turbulent flows.

Exact coherent states of attached eddies in channel flow

A new set of exact coherent states in the form of a travelling wave is reported in plane channel flow. They are continued over a range in $Re$ from approximately $2600$ up to $30\,000$, an order of magnitude higher than those discovered in the transitional regime. This particular type of exact coherent states is found to be gradually more localised in the near-wall region on increasing the Reynolds number. As larger spanwise sizes $L_{z}^{+}$ are considered, these exact coherent states appear via a saddle-node bifurcation with a spanwise size of $L_{z}^{+}\simeq 50$ and their phase speed is found to be $c^{+}\simeq 11$ at all the Reynolds numbers considered. Computation of the eigenspectra shows that the time scale of the exact coherent states is given by $h/U_{cl}$ in channel flow at all Reynolds numbers, and it becomes equivalent to the viscous inner time scale for the exact coherent states in the limit of $Re\rightarrow \infty$. The exact coherent states at several different spanwise sizes are further continued to a higher Reynolds number, $Re=55\,000$, using the eddy-viscosity approach (Hwang & Cossu, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 105, 2010, 044505). It is found that the continued exact coherent states at different sizes are self-similar at the given Reynolds number. These observations suggest that, on increasing Reynolds number, new sets of self-sustaining coherent structures are born in the near-wall region. Near this onset, these structures scale in inner units, forming the near-wall self-sustaining structures. With further increase of Reynolds number, the structures that emerged at lower Reynolds numbers subsequently evolve into the self-sustaining structures in the logarithmic region at different length scales, forming a hierarchy of self-similar coherent structures as hypothesised by Townsend (i.e. attached eddy hypothesis). Finally, the energetics of turbulent flow is discussed for a consistent extension of these dynamical systems notions to high Reynolds numbers.

Exact coherent states with hairpin-like vortex structure in channel flow

Hairpin vortices are widely studied as an important structural aspect of wall turbulence. The present work describes, for the first time, nonlinear travelling wave solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations in the channel flow geometry – exact coherent states (ECS) – that display hairpin-like vortex structure. This solution family comes into existence at a saddle-node bifurcation at Reynolds number $Re=666$. At the bifurcation, the solution has a highly symmetric quasi-streamwise vortex structure similar to that reported for previously studied ECS. With increasing distance from the bifurcation, however, both the upper and lower branch solutions develop a vortical structure characteristic of hairpins: a spanwise-oriented ‘head’ near the channel centreplane where the mean shear vanishes connected to counter-rotating quasi-streamwise ‘legs’ that extend toward the channel wall. At $Re=1800$, the upper branch solution has mean and Reynolds shear-stress profiles that closely resemble those of turbulent mean profiles in the same domain.

The structure and origin of confined Holmboe waves

Finite-amplitude manifestations of stratified shear flow instabilities and their spatio-temporal coherent structures are believed to play an important role in turbulent geophysical flows. Such shear flows commonly have layers separated by sharp density interfaces, and are therefore susceptible to the so-called Holmboe instability, and its finite-amplitude manifestation, the Holmboe wave. In this paper, we describe and elucidate the origin of an apparently previously unreported long-lived coherent structure in a sustained stratified shear flow generated in the laboratory by exchange flow through an inclined square duct connecting two reservoirs filled with fluids of different densities. Using a novel measurement technique allowing for time-resolved, near-instantaneous measurements of the three-component velocity and density fields simultaneously over a three-dimensional volume, we describe the three-dimensional geometry and spatio-temporal dynamics of this structure. We identify it as a finite-amplitude, nonlinear, asymmetric confined Holmboe wave (CHW), and highlight the importance of its spanwise (lateral) confinement by the duct boundaries. We pay particular attention to the spanwise vorticity, which exhibits a travelling, near-periodic structure of sheared, distorted, prolate spheroids with a wide ‘body’ and a narrower ‘head’. Using temporal linear stability analysis on the two-dimensional streamwise-averaged experimental flow, we solve for three-dimensional perturbations having two-dimensional, cross-sectionally confined eigenfunctions and a streamwise normal mode. We show that the dispersion relation and the three-dimensional spatial structure of the fastest-growing confined Holmboe instability are in good agreement with those of the observed confined Holmboe wave. We also compare those results with a classical linear analysis of two-dimensional perturbations (i.e. with no spanwise dependence) on a one-dimensional base flow. We conclude that the lateral confinement is an important ingredient of the confined Holmboe instability, which gives rise to the CHW, with implications for many inherently confined geophysical flows such as in valleys, estuaries, straits or deep ocean trenches. Our results suggest that the CHW is an example of an experimentally observed, inherently nonlinear, robust, long-lived coherent structure which has developed from a linear instability. We conjecture that the CHW is a promising candidate for a class of exact coherent states underpinning the dynamics of more disordered, yet continually forced stratified shear flows.

Bursting and critical layer frequencies in minimal turbulent dynamics and connections to exact coherent states

A new investigation identifies frequencies in minimal channel flow relevant to critical layer dynamics displayed by exact coherent states and shows their predominance over bursting frequencies away from the wall. It is also shown that strong bursts are related to the instability of coherent states.