Critical-level wave absorption controls chaos in a wave--mean flow system
Abstract
Wave-mean flow interactions in stratified fluids can drive spontaneous oscillations, yet the mechanisms controlling transitions between periodic and chaotic regimes remain poorly understood. Using a minimal one-dimensional model of wave-driven mean-flow reversals motivated by the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), we identify two distinct mechanisms that suppress the formation of multiple extrema in the velocity profile: critical-level momentum deposition by a broad spectrum of undamped small-scale gravity waves, and wave-amplitude growth due to exponential density stratification. Although physically distinct, both mechanisms inhibit the route to chaos and reduce sensitivity to small-scale viscosity, substantially widening the region of periodic behavior in parameter space. These results identify a general internal mechanism for the stabilization of wave-driven oscillations, with direct implications for QBO-like phenomena in geophysical and astrophysical flows.
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BibTeX
@misc{levydauchez2026criticallevel,
title = {{Critical-level wave absorption controls chaos in a wave--mean flow system}},
author = {Aymeric Lévy-Dauchez and Louis-Philippe Nadeau and Antoine Venaille},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.39809},
eprint = {2610.39809},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.39809},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Critical-level wave absorption controls chaos in a wave--mean flow system
AU - Aymeric Lévy-Dauchez
AU - Louis-Philippe Nadeau
AU - Antoine Venaille
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.39809
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.39809
AB - Wave-mean flow interactions in stratified fluids can drive spontaneous oscillations, yet the mechanisms controlling transitions between periodic and chaotic regimes remain poorly understood. Using a minimal one-dimensional model of wave-driven mean-flow reversals motivated by the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), we identify two distinct mechanisms that suppress the formation of multiple extrema in the velocity profile: critical-level momentum deposition by a broad spectrum of undamped small-scale gravity waves, and wave-amplitude growth due to exponential density stratification. Although physically distinct, both mechanisms inhibit the route to chaos and reduce sensitivity to small-scale viscosity, substantially widening the region of periodic behavior in parameter space. These results identify a general internal mechanism for the stabilization of wave-driven oscillations, with direct implications for QBO-like phenomena in geophysical and astrophysical flows.
ER -