arXiv subjects

Emma Lenz

Publications and source records attributed to Emma Lenz.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Coherent-structure dynamics in wall turbulence from state-space trajectories

We identify dynamical processes in the near-wall region of turbulent wall-bounded flow by representing coherent-structure energy as trajectories in a low-dimensional state space and analyzing recurring trajectory patterns using network motifs. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are performed for three configurations: a minimal flow unit (MFU) at $Re_\tau \approx 180$ to isolate the self-sustaining process (SSP), a full-scale channel at the same Reynolds number to study interactions between near-wall structures, and an MFU at $Re_\tau \approx 2200$ to investigate near-wall/outer-layer coupling. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is used to identify modes corresponding to streaks, rolls, and meandering structures of the SSP, and the flow is projected onto these modes to track their energy over time. Motif analysis then identifies statistically significant dynamical pathways in the resulting state-space trajectories. Several motifs are common to all three configurations, indicating robust near-wall dynamics across different background flows. While motifs associated with the classical SSP are recovered, equally prominent motifs with no direct SSP analogue are also identified, demonstrating that preferred near-wall dynamics extend beyond the canonical regeneration cycle. Conditioning the $Re_\tau \approx 180$ MFU on outer-layer energy further shows that quiescent outer-layer states produce dynamics resembling those of the low-Reynolds-number full channel, whereas energetic outer-layer states promote high-energy bursting events. These results demonstrate that near-wall turbulence evolves along preferred dynamical pathways whose prevalence is modified, but not eliminated, by outer-layer activity.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2024

Are the dynamics of wall turbulence in minimal channels and larger domain channels equivalent? A graph-theoretic approach

This work proposes two algorithmic approaches to extract critical dynamical mechanisms in wall-bounded turbulence with minimum human bias. In both approaches, multiple types of coherent structures are spatiotemporally tracked, resulting in a complex multilayer network. Network motif analysis, i.e., extracting dominant non-random elemental patterns within these networks, is used to identify the most dominant dynamical mechanisms. Both approaches, combined with network motif analysis, are used to answer whether the main dynamical mechanisms of a minimal flow unit (MFU) and a larger unconstrained channel flow, labeled a full channel (FC), at $Re_\tau \approx 180$, are equivalent. The first approach tracks traditional coherent structures defined as low- and high-speed streaks, ejections, and sweeps. It is found that the roll-streak pairing, consistent with the current understanding of self-sustaining processes, is the most significant and simplest dynamical mechanism in both flows. However, the MFU has a timescale for this mechanism that is approximately $2.83$ times slower than that of the FC. In the second approach, we use semi-Lagrangian wavepackets and define coherent structures from their energetic streak, roll, and small-scale phase space. This method also shows similar motifs for both the MFU and FC. It indicates that, on average, the most dominant phase-space motifs are similar between the two flows, with the significant events taking place approximately $2.21$ times slower in the MFU than in the FC. This value is more consistent with the implied timescale ratio of only the slow speed streaks taking part in the roll-streak pairing extracted using the first multi-type spatiotemporal approach, which is approximately $2.17$ slower in the MFU than the FC.

physics.flu-dyn↗