Recent Articles

Bubble dynamics in a Hele-Shaw channel and velocity selection without surface tension

Giovani L. Vasconcelos, Ruan C. R. Borges, Luan P. Cordeiro, Arthur A. Brum, and Mark Mineev-Weinstein

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104001 (2026) - Published 27 October, 2026

Why do bubbles moving through a viscous fluid in a Hele-Shaw cell select a particular velocity, even in the limit of vanishing surface tension? We address this longstanding problem using exact time-dependent solutions for bubble dynamics in a Hele-Shaw channel, including a new class of rational solutions. Our results show that the experimentally observed velocity, twice that of the background flow, emerges as the unique dynamically stable attractor, revealing an intrinsic selection mechanism that does not rely on surface tension.

Complex dynamical regimes of the Tayler-Spruit dynamo

Paul Barrère, Jérôme Guilet, Basile Gallet, and Raphaël Raynaud

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 103704 (2026) - Published 26 October, 2026

The amplification of large-scale magnetic fields via the Tayler-Spruit dynamo has been invoked to explain the slow rotation of stellar cores and the formation of magnetars. The existence of this mechanism has recently been proved via 3D MHD numerical simulations of a differentially rotating stably stratified fluid. Using the same setup, we show that the dynamo can produce a wide variety of magnetic field dynamics, including reversals and hemisphericity, by varying thermal stratification. In a fiducial simulation, we interpret the appearance of reversals as the result of the coupling of two large-scale magnetic modes with opposite equatorial symmetries by the symmetry breaking of the flow.

Dynamic mode decomposition using standard particle image velocimetry data

Ugur Karban

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104906 (2026) - Published 26 October, 2026

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is a powerful tool for uncovering coherent flow dynamics, yet the need for time-resolved data often limits its experimental use. We show that the evolving gaps between tracer particles in standard, non-time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) images contain enough dynamical information to recover velocity-associated DMD modes. The proposed gap-based DMD approach extends modal analysis to measurements that would otherwise be considered temporally under-resolved.

Development of a frequency-domain model for the aerodynamic flow through volume-averaged porous media

Olivier Moriaux, Riccardo Zamponi, Daniele Ragni, and Francesco Avallone

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104611 (2026) - Published 23 October, 2026

The attenuation of weak aerodynamic pressure fluctuations in porous trailing edges affects up to which frequency trailing-edge noise reduction is achieved. Hence, very large eddy simulations are used to analyze the frequency-dependent relationship between the local pressure gradient and flow velocity for a weak pressure wave in low Reynolds number flow through a structured porous material. This frequency response compares favorably to the unsteady Darcy equation and indicates that the response has two regimes where viscosity dominates the high-frequency regime, whereas the low-frequency regime shows more clearly flow paths with locally higher inertia.

Band-ensemble spectral proper orthogonal decomposition with frequency attribution

Jakob G. R. von Saldern, Oliver T. Schmidt, Philipp Godbersen, J. Moritz Reumschüssel, and Tim Colonius

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104905 (2026) - Published 23 October, 2026

Band-ensemble Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (SPOD) computes modes from bands of neighboring Fourier modes of the full-length Fourier transform. Compared with the commonly applied Welch-based SPOD algorithm, this allows the number of modes to vary with frequency, enabling an adjustable bias–variance trade-off across the spectrum. Additionally, the resulting expansion coefficients allow precise frequency estimates to be attributed to individual modes, enabling improved detection of tonal modes in broadband–tonal flow cases.

Flow reorganization and transport enhancement in two-dimensional horizontal convection near a density extremum

Zhiyang Cai, Shengqi Zhang, Kaizhen Shi, Zhouxin Jiang, and Shijun Liao

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 103501 (2026) - Published 22 October, 2026

Horizontal convection is often modeled with a linear temperature-density relation. Two-dimensional simulations show that a density maximum, such as that of water near 4°C, can generate full-depth mixing plumes, reorganize the circulation, and enhance heat transport. An energy-budget analysis suggests that plume height controls an additional potential-energy transfer associated with this enhancement.

Characterizing periodic orbits in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard flows

Joaquín Cullen, Melisa Y. Vinograd, and Patricio Clark Di Leoni

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 103903 (2026) - Published 22 October, 2026

Unstable periodic orbits are thought to form the backbone of turbulence, yet their computation in thermal convection remains scarce near the onset of chaos. We compute a steady state and three families of periodic orbits in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Benárd across nearly two decades of Rayleigh number, and use Floquet analysis to characterize every bifurcation in the route to chaos. Additionally we find that all symmetries are broken before this onset, and the heat-transport scaling is unaffected throughout.

Fluid flow in low-aspect-ratio curved channels: From small to moderate Dean numbers

Ezzahrae Jaafari, Pascale Magaud, and Micheline Abbas

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104201 (2026) - Published 22 October, 2026

This study presents a numerical investigation of flow in a curved channel with a low height-to-width aspect ratio. By independently varying the Reynolds number, channel curvature and aspect ratio, we identify two distinct scaling laws for the intensity of secondary flows, each corresponding to a different flow regime: one governed by a balance between viscous and curvature forces, and the other by an equilibrium between inertial and centrifugal forces.

Drag modulation by finite-size particles in viscoelastic Taylor-Couette turbulence

Yi-Bao Zhang, Lu Li, Yaning Fan, Cheng Wang, and Chao Sun

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104306 (2026) - Published 22 October, 2026

Particles and drag-reducing polymers can each strongly alter turbulent transport, but what happens when the two act together? Experiments in Taylor-Couette turbulence uncover a transition from particle-dominated to polymer-dominated dynamics as flow strength increases. The coupling is also shape dependent, with spherical particles producing a stronger drag response than oblate and prolate particles.

Signature function: A scale-by-scale measure of turbulent kinetic energy

P. A. Davidson, J. A. Davidson, N. R. Atkins, and P.-Å. Krogstad

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104608 (2026) - Published 22 October, 2026

Turbulent flows contain a wide range of vortical structures, from the tiny to the large. One of the central tasks of turbulence theory is to provide a simple yet reliable means of identifying how much kinetic energy is, on average, held at each scale. Traditionally, Fourier analysis is used for this purpose. However, a decomposition into sine waves is somewhat artificial. Here we provide a real-space diagnostic, quite unrelated to Fourier space, which measures the scale-by scale distribution of kinetic energy.

Effect of low-intensity free-stream turbulence on the dynamics of laminar separation bubble over a circular cylinder

Aditya Desai and Sanjay Mittal

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104609 (2026) - Published 22 October, 2026

A circular cylinder undergoes drag crisis beyond the critical Reynolds number via formation of a laminar separation bubble (LSB) downstream of each shoulder. We investigate the dynamics of these LSBs at low intensity free stream turbulence (FST). We report, for the first time, a synchronization between formation of LSB and the Karman vortex shedding for a stationary cylinder, albeit only at the lowest FST investigated. Increasing the FST to mimic the background FST in some of the past studies completely alters the transition dynamics, as several subregimes observed at the lowest FST disappear at higher FST. The findings provide a valuable benchmark of unperturbed transition dynamics.

Scalar gradient structure and dynamics in turbulent mixing at high Reynolds and Schmidt numbers

Ruqaiya Islam Mishi and Dhawal Buaria

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104610 (2026) - Published 22 October, 2026

What governs the formation of scalar gradients essential for mixing in turbulent flows? Using high-resolution Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) at high Reynolds and Schmidt numbers, we show that intense scalar gradients arise primarily from near-optimal alignment with the most compressive strain direction, rather than unusually strong strain alone. These gradients organize into thin sheets within shear layers between vortex tubes, where their amplification is ultimately arrested by molecular diffusion. Remarkably, their structure and dynamics exhibit near-universal behavior across Reynolds and Schmidt numbers, revealing a robust picture of small-scale turbulent mixing.

Oscillatory liquid-metal flow in a channel under rapidly decaying applied magnetic field

Oleg Zikanov, Haroon Ahmad, and Sergey Smolentsev

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 103703 (2026) - Published 21 October, 2026

Standing Alfvén waves develop in a poloidal channel of a liquid-metal blanket of a fusion reactor during the first few milliseconds of a plasma disruption event. The waves are characterized by high-frequency oscillations of velocity, electric current, and induced magnetic field, with Lorentz forces exceeding, in some cases, 109 N/m3.

Evolution of a gas current injected into a curved axisymmetric porous channel

Peter Castellucci, Radha Boya, Lin Ma, Igor L. Chernyavsky, and Oliver E. Jensen

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 103801 (2026) - Published 21 October, 2026

Motivated by the underground storage of hydrogen and CO₂, we use analytical approximations to study the evolution of a gas current injected into porous, axisymmetric, dome-shaped channels. Unlike flow in flat channels, where injection dominates, flow in bell-shaped channels can remain influenced by buoyancy. In parabolic-shaped channels, slopes steepen with distance from the injection point, leading to distinct stages of spreading with different flow patterns along the channel. These results show how geological curvature can alter gas spreading and suggest that, under suitable conditions, parabolic-shaped aquifers may offer more efficient use of storage volume than flat aquifers.

Phase dynamics in the flow-induced vibration of an inclined D-section cylinder at low Reynolds numbers

Bin Liu, J. Geoffrey Chase, Ye Chen, and Xiaoqi Chen

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104102 (2026) - Published 21 October, 2026

Flow-induced vibrations are often classified by frequency synchronization, but this alone can obscure changes in the coupling between fluid forces and structural motion. Simulations of an inclined D-section cylinder at low Reynolds number reveal a finite interval in which lift and motion separate in frequency and their phase difference wanders. This transitional response connects lock-in to low-amplitude, nearly antiphase motion without developing into sustained galloping.

Unsteady characteristics of cavitating flows with sediment particles: A multiscale gas-liquid-solid simulation

Ziyang Wang, Renfang Huang, Quanwei Liang, Yexiang Xiao, and Xianwu Luo

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104304 (2026) - Published 21 October, 2026

Sand-laden cavitation spans solid particles, macroscopic vapor cavities, and microbubbles, yet existing simulations rarely resolve their coupled multiscale dynamics. We develop a two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian framework that simultaneously captures cavity evolution and discrete particle-bubble motion. The simulations reveal that sediment particles accelerate cavity shedding and weaken the re-entrant jet, while increasing the Hinze scale by reducing turbulent dissipation and suppressing the breakup cascade from large to small bubbles.

Two-dimensional simulations of hydrodynamic spin coupling in a two-rotor corral

Tsorng-Whay Pan and Jiwen He

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104305 (2026) - Published 21 October, 2026

A spinning rotor can drive a free neighbor to turn either against it, like a gear, or with it, like a belt, as a recent quasi-two-dimensional experiment showed. Using direct numerical simulations of strictly planar flow, we compute the torque-free spin of the passive rotor across gaps, Reynolds numbers, and corral sizes. The planar model reproduces the observed gap-driven sequence of vortex rearrangements and the order of magnitude of the coupling, and it contains an inertia-driven spin reversal, but at a narrower gap than in the experiment, leaving finite-depth effects as candidate contributors to the difference.

Intermittency in the elastic range of bulk polymeric turbulence

Yi-Bao Zhang, Lu Li, Feng Wang, Sheng-Hong Peng, and Heng-Dong Xi

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104606 (2026) - Published 21 October, 2026

In Newtonian turbulence, velocity fluctuations exhibit a complex, multifractal hierarchy of scaling laws. Here in polymeric turbulence, experiments reveal a simpler, bifractal-like scaling for longitudinal velocity structure functions in the polymer-dominated elastic range, with distinct branches for low- and high-order moments. The results suggest that sheetlike flow structures govern the rare, intense fluctuations, providing insight into how polymer elasticity reshapes turbulent intermittency.

Is vorticity amplification essential for anomalous dissipation and intermittency in turbulence?

Alessandro Chiarini

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 104607 (2026) - Published 21 October, 2026

Vortex stretching is regarded as the engine of three-dimensional turbulence, yet the separate roles of its two components, vorticity amplification and vortex tilting, remain unclear. By selectively suppressing vorticity amplification in the Navier–Stokes equations, we show that it is essential for the forward energy cascade and the dissipative anomaly: without it, energy dissipation vanishes at high Reynolds number and the flow switches to a forward enstrophy cascade with anomalous enstrophy dissipation. Yet intermittency and multifractality persist, revealing that the geometric reorientation of vortex lines by tilting alone is sufficient to sustain them.

Nonlinear three-dimensional electrohydrodynamic interactions of viscous leaky dielectric drops

Michael A. McDougall, Stephen K. Wilson, and Debasish Das

Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 103702 (2026) - Published 19 October, 2026

Viscous leaky-dielectric drops in electric fields can deform, translate, and spontaneously rotate through the Quincke rotation instability. We develop a three-dimensional nonlinear model coupling charge relaxation, convection, deformation, and electrohydrodynamic interactions to study the dynamics of a pair of drops. The model predicts spiraling trajectories, attraction, repulsion, and sustained pair translation, and shows how interactions can qualitatively alter the onset of Quincke rotation.

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