Nonlinear global modes in hot jets

Since the experiments of Monkewitz et al. (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 213, 1990, p. 611), sufficiently hot circular jets have been known to give rise to self-sustained synchronized oscillations induced by a locally absolutely unstable region. In the present investigation, numerical simulations are carried out in order to determine if such synchronized states correspond to a nonlinear global mode of the underlying base flow, as predicted in the framework of Ginzburg - Landau model equations. Two configurations of slowly developing base flows are considered. In the presence of a pocket of absolute instability embedded within a convectively unstable jet, global oscillations are shown to be generated by a steep nonlinear front located at the upstream station of marginal absolute instability. The global frequency is given, within 10% accuracy, by the absolute frequency at the front location and, as expected on theoretical grounds, the front displays the same slope as a k^--wave. For jet flows displaying absolutely unstable inlet conditions, global instability is observed to arise if the streamwise extent of the absolutely unstable region is sufficiently large: While local absolute instability sets in for ambient-to-jet temperature ratios S ≤ 0.453, global modes only appear for S ≤ 0.3125. In agreement with theoretical predictions, the selected frequency near the onset of global instability coincides with the absolute frequency at the inlet. For lower S, it gradually departs from this value.