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Fluid Dynamics Seminar

Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, 4:00 PM
Cullimore, Room 611
New Jersey Institute of Technology

Non-Boussinesq effects on the stability of stratified shear flows

Ricardo Barros

IMPA

Abstract

We revisit the stability analysis for stratified shear flows. It is often the case when density jumps across the interface are small, and for this reason Boussinesq approximation has usually been adopted. However, evidences will be provided supporting that greater care should be taken to ensure the accuracy of such a simplified analysis. More precisely, we will exhibit some non-Boussinesq effects on the Holmboe instability in two-layer shear flows, and explore the possibility of rendering the flow stable for arbitrary large shear between the layers.