Spatio-temporal characterization of nonlinear forcing and response in turbulent channel flow

Abstract: The quadratic convection term in the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is considered as a nonlinear forcing to the linear resolvent operator, and it is studied in the Fourier domain through the analysis of interactions between triadically compatible wavenumber-frequency triplets. A framework to quantify the triadic contributions to the forcing and response by each pair of triplets is developed and applied to data from direct numerical simulations of a turbulent channel at $Re_{\tau} \approx 550$. The linear resolvent operator is incorporated to provide the missing link from energy transfer between modes to the effect on the spectral turbulent kinetic energy. The coefficients highlight the importance of interactions involving large-scale structures, providing a natural connection to the modeling assumptions in quasi-linear (QL) and generalized quasi-linear (GQL) analyses. Specifically, it is revealed that the QL and GQL reductions efficiently capture important triadic interactions in the flow, especially when including of a small number of wavenumbers into the GQL large-scale base flow. Additionally, spatio-temporal analyses of the triadic contributions to a single mode representative of the near-wall cycle demonstrate the spatio-temporal nature of the triadic interactions and the effect of the resolvent operator, which selectively amplifies certain forcing profiles. The tools presented are expected to be useful for improving modeling of the nonlinearity, especially in QL, GQL, and resolvent analyses, and understanding the amplitude modulation mechanism relating large-scale fluctuations to the modulation of near-wall structures.