Explosive synchronization in a turbulent reactive flow system

TL;DR

This paper provides experimental evidence of explosive synchronization in a turbulent reactive flow system, revealing a sudden transition with hysteresis during the onset of oscillatory instability, and offers a mathematical model for the interaction mechanism.

Contribution

It demonstrates for the first time explosive synchronization in a real-world turbulent reactive flow system and develops a mathematical model explaining the interaction mechanism.

Findings

Abrupt synchronization transition with hysteresis observed

Explosive synchronization occurs at the onset of oscillatory instability

A mathematical model of the interaction mechanism is constructed

Abstract

The occurrence of abrupt dynamical transitions in the macroscopic state of a system has received growing attention. We present experimental evidence for abrupt transition via explosive synchronization in a real-world complex system, namely a turbulent reactive flow system. In contrast to the paradigmatic continuous transition to a synchronized state from an initially desynchronized state, the system exhibits a discontinuous synchronization transition with a hysteresis. We consider the fluctuating heat release rate from the turbulent flames at each spatial location as locally coupled oscillators that are coupled to the global acoustic field in the confined system. We analyze the synchronization between these two subsystems during the transition to a state of oscillatory instability and discover that explosive synchronization occurs at the onset of oscillatory instability. Further, we explore the underlying mechanism of interaction between the subsystems and construct a mathematical model of the same.