Distributed chaos tuned to large scale coherent motions in turbulence

Abstract

It is shown, using direct numerical simulations and laboratory experiments data, that distributed chaos is often tuned to large scale coherent motions in anisotropic inhomogeneous turbulence. The examples considered are: fully developed turbulent boundary layer (range of coherence: $14 < y^{+} < 80$), turbulent thermal convection (in a horizontal cylinder), and Cuette-Taylor flow. Two ways of the tuning have been described: one via fundamental frequency (wavenumber) and another via subharmonic (period doubling). For the second way the large scale coherent motions are a natural component of distributed chaos. In all considered cases spontaneous breaking of space translational symmetry is accompanied by reflexional symmetry breaking.