Stochastic Model for Quasi-One-Dimensional Transitional Turbulence with Streamwise Shear Interactions

Abstract

The transition to turbulence in wall-bounded shear flows is typically subcritical, with a poorly understood interplay between spatial fluctuations, pattern formation, and stochasticity near the critical Reynolds number. Here, we present a spatially extended stochastic minimal model for the energy budget in transitional pipe flow, which successfully recapitulates the way localized patches of turbulence (puffs) decay, split, and grow, respectively, as the Reynolds number increases through the laminar-turbulent transition. Our approach takes into account the flow geometry, as we demonstrate by extending the model to quasi-one-dimensional Taylor-Couette flow, reproducing the observed directed percolation pattern of turbulent patches in space and time.