# Hydrodynamic turbulence in quasi-Keplerian rotating flows

## TL;DR

This study uses direct numerical simulations to investigate turbulence in quasi-Keplerian Taylor-Couette flow at high Reynolds numbers, finding no sustained turbulence when starting from optimal perturbations.

## Contribution

It provides the first high-Reynolds-number simulation showing decay of turbulence in quasi-Keplerian flow without end-wall effects.

## Key findings

- No sustained turbulence observed at Re up to 10^5
- Initial perturbations trigger transient turbulence that decays
- Flow remains stable without continuous turbulence

## Abstract

We report a direct-numerical-simulation study of Taylor-Couette flow in the quasi-Keplerian regime at shear Reynolds numbers up to $\mathcal{O}(10^5)$. Quasi-Keplerian rotating flow has been investigated for decades as a simplified model system to study the origin of turbulence in accretion disks that is not fully understood. The flow in this study is axially periodic and thus the experimental end-wall effects on the stability of the flow are avoided. Using optimal linear perturbations as initial conditions, our simulations find no sustained turbulence: the strong initial perturbations distort the velocity profile and trigger turbulence that eventually decays.