# gst: diffusion and decay of an expanding turbulent blob; the cascade can leave an indelible footprint far into the decay process

<< Turbulence, left unforced, decays and invades the surrounding quiescent fluid. Though ubiquitous, this simple phenomenon has proven hard to capture within a simple and general framework. >>

Here, AA << circumvent these issues by creating a spatially-localized blob of turbulent fluid using eight converging vortex generators focused towards the center of a tank of water, and observe its decay and spread over decades in time, using particle image velocimetry with a logarithmic sampling rate. >>

<< The blob initially expands and decays until it reaches the walls of the tank and eventually transitions to a second regime of approximately spatially uniform decay. (AA) interpret these dynamics within the framework of a nonlinear diffusion equation, which predicts that the ideal quiescent-turbulent fluid boundary is sharp and propagates non-diffusively, driven by turbulent eddies while decaying with characteristic scaling laws. >>

AA << find direct evidence for this model within the expansion phase of (their) turbulent blob and use it to account for the detailed behavior (they) observe, in contrast to earlier studies. (AA) work provides a detailed spatially-resolved narrative for the behavior of turbulence once the forcing is removed, and demonstrates unexpectedly that the turbulent cascade leaves an indelible footprint far into the decay process. >>

Takumi Matsuzawa, Minhui Zhu, et al. Nonlinear Diffusion and Decay of an Expanding Turbulent Blob. arXiv: 2505.22737v2 [physics.flu-dyn]. May 30, 2025

https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.22737

Also: turbulence, vortex, transition, in https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html 

Keywords: gst, quiescence, quiescent fluids, blobs, turbulent blobs, turbulent eddies, turbulent cascade, expansion and decay.

# gst: pattern generation through turbulent cascades

<< Fully developed turbulence is a universal and scale-invariant chaotic state characterized by an energy cascade from large to small scales where the cascade is eventually arrested by dissipation. In this Letter, (AA) show how to harness these seemingly structureless turbulent cascades to generate patterns. Conceptually, pattern or structure formation entails a process of wavelength selection: patterns typically arise from the linear instability of a homogeneous state. By contrast, the mechanism (they) propose here is fully non-linear and triggered by a non-dissipative arrest of turbulent cascades. Instead of being dissipated, energy piles up at intermediate scales. Using a combination of theory and large-scale simulations, (AA) show that the tunable wavelength of these cascade-induced patterns is set by a non-dissipative transport coefficient called odd or gyro viscosity. This non-dissipative viscosity is ubiquitous in chiral systems (..). Beyond chiral fluids, cascade-induced pattern formation could occur in natural systems (..) as well as in industrial processes (..). >>

Xander M. de Wit, Michel Fruchart, et al. Pattern formation by non-dissipative arrest of turbulent cascades. arXiv: 2304.10444v1 [cond-mat.soft]. Apr 20, 2023.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.10444

Also: 'turbulence', 'vortex', 'game', 'evolution', 'ai' in https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html

Keywords: gst, vortex, vorticity,  turbulence, turbulent cascade, pattern formation, game, evolution, ai (artificial intelligence)