Direct transition to elastoinertial turbulence from a linear instability in channel flow

Abstract

For decades, transition to turbulence in viscoelastic parallel shear flows was believed to require nonlinear instabilities. We provide numerical evidences for a new wall-mode linear instability that directly triggers the transition to elastoinertial turbulence in channel flow. The instability is 2D but 3D features become important as nonlinear effects grow. With larger disturbances, direct transition to nonlinear instabilities, leading to turbulent states of both inertial and elastoinertial natures, are observed.