The spectral dynamics and spatial structures of the conditional Lyapunov vector in slave Kolmogorov flow

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical simulations to analyze the spectral and spatial dynamics of the conditional Lyapunov vector in slave Kolmogorov flow, revealing new insights into perturbation evolution and underlying mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides a spectral analysis of Lyapunov vectors in Kolmogorov flow, extending understanding of perturbation dynamics and self-similar evolution at moderate Reynolds numbers.

Findings

Conditional Lyapunov exponent can be smaller than previous viscous bounds.

Self-similar evolution of perturbation energy spectrum is characterized.

Roles of strain rate and vorticity perturbations are clarified.

Abstract

We conduct direct numerical simulations to investigate the synchronization of Kolmogorov flows in a periodic box, with a focus on the mechanisms underlying the asymptotic evolution of infinitesimal velocity perturbations, also known as conditional leading Lyapunov vectors. This study advances previous work with a spectral analysis of the perturbation, which clarifies the behaviours of the production and dissipation spectra at different coupling wavenumbers. We show that, in simulations with moderate Reynolds numbers, the conditional leading Lyapunov exponent can be smaller than a lower bound proposed previously based on a viscous estimate. A quantitative analysis of the self-similar evolution of the perturbation energy spectrum is presented, extending the existing qualitative discussion. The prerequisites for obtaining self-similar solutions are established, which include an interesting relationship between the integral length scale of the perturbation velocity and the local Lyapunov exponent. By examining the governing equation for the dissipation rate of the velocity perturbation, we reveal the previously neglected roles of the strain rate and vorticity perturbations and uncover their unique geometrical characteristics.