Evolution of turbulent spots in a parallel shear flow.

The evolution of turbulent spots in a parallel shear flow is studied by means of full three-dimensional numerical simulations. The flow is bounded by free surfaces and driven by a volume force. Three regions in the spanwise spot cross section can be identified: a turbulent interior, an interface layer with prominent streamwise streaks and vortices, and a laminar exterior region with a large scale flow induced by the presence of the spot. The lift-up of streamwise streaks that is caused by non-normal amplification is clearly detected in the region adjacent to the spot interface. The spot can be characterized by an exponentially decaying front that moves with a speed different from that of the cross-stream outflow or the spanwise phase velocity of the streamwise roll pattern. Growth of the spots seems to be intimately connected to the large scale outside flow, for a turbulent ribbon extending across the box in the downstream direction does not show the large scale flow and does not grow. Quantitatively, the large scale flow induces a linear instability in the neighborhood of the spot, but the associated front velocity is too small to explain the spot spreading.