arXiv subjects

Theodore D. Drivas

Publications and source records attributed to Theodore D. Drivas.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Statistically self-similar mixing by Gaussian random fields

We study the passive transport of a scalar field by a spatially smooth but white-in-time incompressible Gaussian random velocity field on $\mathbb{R}^d$. If the velocity field $u$ is homogeneous, isotropic, and statistically self-similar, we derive an exact formula which captures non-diffusive mixing. For zero diffusivity, the formula takes the shape of $\mathbb{E}\ \| θ_t \|_{\dot{H}^{-s}}^2 = \mathrm{e}^{-λ_{d,s} t} \| θ_0 \|_{\dot{H}^{-s}}^2$ with any $s\in (0,d/2)$ and $\frac{λ_{d,s}}{D_1}:= s(\frac{λ_{1}}{D_1}-2s)$ where $λ_1/D_1 = d$ is the top Lyapunov exponent associated to the random Lagrangian flow generated by $u$ and $ D_1$ is small-scale shear rate of the velocity. Moreover, the mixing is shown to hold $\textit{uniformly}$ in diffusivity.

math.PR↗

arXiv2023

The Feynman-Lagerstrom criterion for boundary layers

We study the boundary layer theory for slightly viscous stationary flows forced by an imposed slip velocity at the boundary. According to the theory of Prandtl (1904) and Batchelor (1956), any Euler solution arising in this limit and consisting of a single ``eddy" must have constant vorticity. Feynman and Lagerstrom (1956) gave a procedure to select the value of this vorticity by demanding a \textit{necessary} condition for the existence of a periodic Prandtl boundary layer description. In the case of the disc, the choice -- known to Batchelor (1956) and Wood (1957) -- is explicit in terms of the slip forcing. For domains with non-constant curvature, Feynman and Lagerstrom give an approximate formula for the choice which is in fact only implicitly defined and must be determined together with the boundary layer profile. We show that this condition is also sufficient for the existence of a periodic boundary layer described by the Prandtl equations. Due to the quasilinear coupling between the solution and the selected vorticity, we devise a delicate iteration scheme coupled with a high-order energy method that captures and controls the implicit selection mechanism.

math.AP↗

arXiv2023

On the large-scale sweeping of small-scale eddies in turbulence -- A filtering approach

We present an analysis of the Navier-Stokes equations based on a spatial filtering technique to elucidate the multi-scale nature of fully developed turbulence. In particular, the advection of a band-pass-filtered small-scale contribution by larger scales is considered, and rigorous upper bounds are established for the various dynamically active scales. The analytical predictions are confirmed with direct numerical simulation data. The results are discussed with respect to the establishment of effective large-scale equations valid for turbulent flows.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Islands in stable fluid equilibria

We prove that stable fluid equilibria with trivial homology on curved, reflection-symmetric periodic channels must posses "islands", or cat's eye vortices. In this way, arbitrarily small disturbances of a flat boundary cause a change of streamline topology of stable steady states.

math.AP↗

arXiv2023

Invariant measures for stochastic conservation laws on the line

We consider a stochastic conservation law on the line with solution-dependent diffusivity, a super-linear, sub-quadratic Hamiltonian, and smooth, spatially-homogeneous kick-type random forcing. We show that this Markov process admits a unique ergodic spatially-homogeneous invariant measure for each mean in a non-explicit unbounded set. This generalizes previous work on the stochastic Burgers equation.

math.PR↗

arXiv2022

On the distribution of heat in fibered magnetic fields

We study the equilibrium temperature distribution in a model for strongly magnetized plasmas in dimension two and higher. Provided the magnetic field is sufficiently structured (integrable in the sense that it is fibered by co-dimension one invariant tori, on most of which the field lines ergodically wander) and the effective thermal diffusivity transverse to the tori is small, it is proved that the temperature distribution is well approximated by a function that only varies across the invariant surfaces. The same result holds for "nearly integrable" magnetic fields up to a "critical" size. In this case, a volume of non-integrability is defined in terms of the temperature defect distribution and related the non-integrable structure of the magnetic field, confirming a physical conjecture of Paul-Hudson-Helander. Our proof crucially uses a certain quantitative ergodicity condition for the magnetic field lines on full measure set of invariant tori, which is automatic in two dimensions for magnetic fields without null points and, in higher dimensions, is guaranteed by a Diophantine condition on the rotational transform of the magnetic field.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

Singularity formation in the incompressible Euler equation in finite and infinite time

Some classical and recent results on the Euler equations governing perfect (incompressible and inviscid) fluid motion are collected and reviewed, with some small novelties scattered throughout. The perspective and emphasis will be given through the lens of infinite-dimensional dynamical systems, and various open problems are listed and discussed.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

The statistical geometry of material loops in turbulence

Material elements - which are lines, surfaces, or volumes behaving as passive, non-diffusive markers - provide an inherently geometric window into the intricate dynamics of chaotic flows. Their stretching and folding dynamics has immediate implications for mixing in the oceans or the atmosphere, as well as the emergence of self-sustained dynamos in astrophysical settings. Here, we uncover robust statistical properties of an ensemble of material loops in a turbulent environment. Our approach combines high-resolution direct numerical simulations of Navier-Stokes turbulence, stochastic models, and dynamical systems techniques to reveal predictable, universal features of these complex objects. We show that the loop curvature statistics become stationary through a dynamical formation process of high-curvature folds, leading to distributions with power-law tails whose exponents are determined by the large-deviations statistics of finite-time Lyapunov exponents of the flow. This prediction applies to advected material lines in a broad range of chaotic flows. To complement this dynamical picture, we confirm our theory in the analytically tractable Kraichnan model with an exact Fokker-Planck approach.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Flexibility and rigidity of free boundary MHD equilibria

We study stationary free boundary configurations of an ideal incompressible magnetohydrodynamic fluid possessing nested flux surfaces. In 2D simply connected domains, we prove that if the magnetic field and velocity field are never commensurate, the only possible domain for any such equilibria is a disk, and the velocity and magnetic field are circular. We give examples of non-symmetric equilibria occupying a domain of any shape by imposing an external magnetic field generated by a singular current sheet charge distribution (external coils). Some results carry over to 3D axisymmetric solutions. These results highlight the importance of external magnetic fields for the existence of asymmetric equilibria.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

Propagation of singularities by Osgood vector fields and for 2D inviscid incompressible fluids

We show that certain singular structures (Hölderian cusps and mild divergences) are transported by the flow of homeomorphisms generated by an Osgood velocity field. The structure of these singularities is related to the modulus of continuity of the velocity and the results are shown to be sharp in the sense that slightly more singular structures cannot generally be propagated. For the 2D Euler equation, we prove that certain singular structures are preserved by the motion, e.g. a system of $\log\log_+(1/|x|)$ vortices (and those that are slightly less singular) travel with the fluid in a nonlinear fashion, up to bounded perturbations. We also give stability results for weak Euler solutions away from their singular set.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Statistical determinism in non-Lipschitz dynamical systems

We study a class of ordinary differential equations with a non-Lipschitz point singularity, which admit non-unique solutions through this point. As a selection criterion, we introduce stochastic regularizations depending on the parameter $ν$: the regularized dynamics is globally defined for each $ν> 0$, and the original singular system is recovered in the limit of vanishing $ν$. We prove that this limit yields a unique statistical solution independent of regularization, when the deterministic system possesses certain chaotic properties. In this case, solutions become spontaneously stochastic after passing through the singularity: they are selected randomly with an intrinsic probability distribution.

math.DS↗

arXiv2021

Self-Regularization in turbulence from the Kolmogorov 4/5-Law and Alignment

A defining feature of 3D hydrodynamic turbulence is that the rate of energy dissipation is bounded away from zero as viscosity is decreased (Reynolds number increased). This phenomenon - anomalous dissipation - is sometimes called the `zeroth law of turbulence' as it underpins many celebrated theoretical predictions. Another robust feature observed in turbulence is that velocity structure functions $S_p(\ell) :=\langle |δ_\ell u|^p\rangle$ exhibit persistent power-law scaling in the inertial range, namely $S_p(\ell) \sim |\ell|^{ζ_p}$ for exponents $ζ_p>0$ over an ever-increasing (with Reynolds) range of scales. This behavior indicates that the velocity field retains some fractional differentiability uniformly in the Reynolds number. The Kolmogorov 1941 theory of turbulence predicts that $ζ_p=p/3$ for all $p$ and Onsager's 1949 theory establishes the requirement that $ζ_p\leq p/3$ for $p\geq 3$ for consistency with the zeroth law. Empirically, $ζ_2 \gtrapprox 2/3$ and $ζ_3 \lessapprox 1$, suggesting that turbulent Navier-Stokes solutions approximate dissipative weak solutions of the Euler equations possessing (nearly) the minimal degree of singularity required to sustain anomalous dissipation. In this note, we adopt an experimentally supported hypothesis on the anti-alignment of velocity increments with their separation vectors and demonstrate that the inertial dissipation provides a regularization mechanism via the Kolmogorov 4/5-law.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Bounds on heat flux for Rayleigh-Bénard convection between Navier-slip fixed-temperature boundaries

We study two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection with Navier-slip, fixed temperature boundary conditions and establish bounds on the Nusselt number. As the slip-length varies with Rayleigh number $\rm{Ra}$, this estimate interpolates between the Whitehead-Doering bound by $\rm{Ra}^{\frac{5}{12}}$ for free-slip conditions [13] and the classical Doering-Constantin $\rm{Ra}^{\frac{1}{2}}$ bound [4].

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Simultaneous development of shocks and cusps for 2D Euler with azimuthal symmetry from smooth data

A fundamental question in fluid dynamics concerns the formation of discontinuous shock waves from smooth initial data. We prove that from smooth initial data, smooth solutions to the 2d Euler equations in azimuthal symmetry form a first singularity, the so-called $C^{\frac{1}{3}} $ pre-shock. The solution in the vicinity of this pre-shock is shown to have a fractional series expansion with coefficients computed from the data. Using this precise description of the pre-shock, we prove that a discontinuous shock instantaneously develops after the pre-shock. This regular shock solution is shown to be unique in a class of entropy solutions with azimuthal symmetry and regularity determined by the pre-shock expansion. Simultaneous to the development of the shock front, two other characteristic surfaces of cusp-type singularities emerge from the pre-shock. These surfaces have been termed weak discontinuities by Landau & Lifschitz [Chapter IX, §96], who conjectured some type of singular behavior of derivatives along such surfaces. We prove that along the slowest surface, all fluid variables except the entropy have $C^{1, {\frac{1}{2}} }$ one-sided cusps from the shock side, and that the normal velocity is decreasing in the direction of its motion; we thus term this surface a weak rarefaction wave. Along the surface moving with the fluid velocity, density and entropy form $C^{1, {\frac{1}{2}} }$ one-sided cusps while the pressure and normal velocity remain $C^2$; as such, we term this surface a weak contact discontinuity.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Boundary conditions and polymeric drag reduction for the Navier-Stokes equations

Reducing wall drag in turbulent pipe and channel flows is an issue of great practical importance. In engineering applications, end-functionalized polymer chains are often employed as agents to reduce drag. These are polymers which are floating in the solvent and attach (either by adsorption or through irreversible chemical binding) at one of their chain ends to the substrate (wall). We propose a PDE model to study this setup in the simple setting where the solvent is a viscous incompressible Navier-Stokes fluid occupying the bulk of a smooth domain $Ω\subset \mathbb{R}^d$, and the wall-grafted polymer is in the so-called mushroom regime (inter-polymer spacing on the order of the typical polymer length). The microscopic description of the polymer enters into the macroscopic description of the fluid motion through a dynamical boundary condition on the wall-tangential stress of the fluid, something akin to (but distinct from) a history-dependent slip-length. We establish global well-posedness of strong solutions in two-spatial dimensions and prove that the inviscid limit to the strong Euler solution holds with a rate. Moreover, the wall-friction factor $\langle f\rangle$ and the global energy dissipation $\langle \varepsilon\rangle$ vanish inversely proportional to the Reynolds number $Re$. This scaling corresponds to Poiseuille's law for the friction factor $\langle f\rangle \sim1/ Re$ for laminar flow and thereby quantifies drag reduction in our setting. These results are in stark contrast to those available for physical boundaries without polymer additives modeled by, e.g., no-slip conditions, where no such results are generally known even in two-dimensions.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Conjugate and cut points in ideal fluid motion

Two fluid configurations along a flow are conjugate if there is a one parameter family of geodesics (fluid flows) joining them to infinitesimal order. Geometrically, they can be seen as a consequence of the (infinite dimensional) group of volume preserving diffeomorphisms having sufficiently strong positive curvatures which `pull' nearby flows together. Physically, they indicate a form of (transient) stability in the configuration space of particle positions: a family of flows starting with the same configuration deviate initially and subsequently re-converge (resonate) with each other at some later moment in time. Here, we first establish existence of conjugate points in an infinite family of Kolmogorov flows - a class of stationary solutions of the Euler equations - on the rectangular flat torus of any aspect ratio. The analysis is facilitated by a general criterion for identifying conjugate points in the group of volume preserving diffeomorphisms. Next, we show non-existence of conjugate points along Arnold stable steady states on the annulus, disk and channel. Finally, we discuss cut points, their relation to non-injectivity of the exponential map (impossibility of determining a flow from a particle configuration at a given instant) and show that the closest cut point to the identity is either a conjugate point or the midpoint of a time periodic Lagrangian fluid flow.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Flexibility and rigidity in steady fluid motion

Flexibility and rigidity properties of steady (time-independent) solutions of the Euler, Boussinesq and Magnetohydrostatic equations are investigated. Specifically, certain Liouville-type theorems are established which show that suitable steady solutions with no stagnation points occupying a two-dimensional periodic channel, or axisymmetric solutions in (hollowed out) cylinder, must have certain structural symmetries. It is additionally shown that such solutions can be deformed to occupy domains which are themselves small perturbations of the base domain. As application of the general scheme, Arnol'd stable solutions are shown to be structurally stable.

math.AP↗

arXiv2020

On quasisymmetric plasma equilibria sustained by small force

We construct smooth, non-symmetric plasma equilibria which possess closed, nested flux surfaces and solve the magnetohydrostatic (steady three-dimensional incompressible Euler) equations with a small force. The solutions are also `nearly' quasisymmetric. The primary idea is, given a desired quasisymmetry direction $ξ$, to change the smooth structure on space so that the vector field $ξ$ is Killing for the new metric and construct $ξ$--symmetric solutions of the magnetohydrostatic equations on that background by solving a generalized Grad-Shafranov equation. If $ξ$ is close to a symmetry of Euclidean space, then these are solutions on flat space up to a small forcing.

math.AP↗