Repository logo
 

Kelvin-Helmholtz billows above Richardson number 1/4

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Parker, JP 
Caulfield, CP 
Kerswell, RR 

Abstract

We study the dynamical system of a forced stratified mixing layer at finite Reynolds number Re, and Prandtl number Pr=1. We consider a hyperbolic tangent background velocity profile in the two cases of hyperbolic tangent and uniform background buoyancy stratifications. The system is forced in such a way that these background profiles are a steady solution of the governing equations. As is well-known, if the minimum gradient Richardson number of the flow, Rim, is less than a certain critical value Ric, the flow is linearly unstable to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in both cases. Using Newton-Krylov iteration, we find steady, two-dimensional, finite amplitude elliptical vortex structures, i.e. `Kelvin-Helmholtz billows', existing above Ric. Bifurcation diagrams are produced using branch continuation, and we explore how these diagrams change with varying Re. In particular, when Re is sufficiently high we find that finite amplitude Kelvin-Helmholtz billows exist at Rim>1/4, where the flow is linearly stable by the Miles-Howard theorem. For the uniform background stratification, we give a simple explanation of the dynamical system, showing the dynamics can be understood on a two-dimensional manifold embedded in state space, and demonstrate the cases in which the system is bistable. In the case of a hyperbolic tangent stratification, we also describe a new, slow-growing, linear instability of the background profiles at finite Re, which complicates the dynamics.

Description

Keywords

bifurcation, stratified flows, nonlinear instability

Journal Title

Journal of Fluid Mechanics

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0022-1120
1469-7645

Volume Title

879

Publisher

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/K034529/1)
EPSRC (1940773)