ISSN:
1089-7666
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
A six-dimensional nonlinear dynamic system describing the Lagrangian motion of a heavy particle in the Arnold–Beltrami–Childress (ABC) flow was numerically studied. Lyapunov exponents and fractal dimension were used to quantify the chaotic motion. A single set of ABC flow parameters and a limited set of initial conditions were used. Given these restrictions, the following were found. (1) Attractor fractal dimension varies significantly with Stokes number, and, depending on inertia, periodic, quasiperiodic, and chaotic attractors may exist. (2) Particle drift reduces the fractal dimension when the drift is small. It can also cause irregular jumps when the drift parameter is close to one. (3) Quasiperiodic orbits on smooth two-dimensional manifolds were shown to be the most common ultimate solutions of the system when either the inertia or the drift is relatively large. (4) Different initial conditions can lead to different attracting sets; however, most of them have the same dimension. (5) A direct measure of dispersion based on mean square displacement was defined, but no relation between this dispersion measure and fractal dimension was found.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.858088
