Kernel methods for detecting coherent structures in dynamical data

We illustrate relationships between classical kernel-based dimensionality reduction techniques and eigendecompositions of empirical estimates of reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) operators associated with dynamical systems. In particular, we show that kernel canonical correlation analysis (CCA) can be interpreted in terms of kernel transfer operators and that it can be obtained by optimizing the variational approach for Markov processes (VAMP) score. As a result, we show that coherent sets of particle trajectories can be computed by kernel CCA. We demonstrate the efficiency of this approach with several examples, namely the well-known Bickley jet, ocean drifter data, and a molecular dynamics problem with a time-dependent potential. Finally, we propose a straightforward generalization of dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) called coherent mode decomposition (CMD). Our results provide a generic machine learning approach to the computation of coherent sets with an objective score that can be used for cross-validation and the comparison of different methods

Navier-Stokes hydrodynamics of thermal collapse in a freely cooling granular gas

We employ Navier-Stokes granular hydrodynamics to investigate the long-time behavior of clustering instability in a freely cooling dilute granular gas in two dimensions. We find that, in circular containers, the homogeneous cooling state (HCS) of the gas loses its stability via a sub-critical pitchfork bifurcation. There are no time-independent solutions for the gas density in the supercritical region, and we present analytical and numerical evidence that the gas develops thermal collapse unarrested by heat diffusion. To get more insight, we switch to a simpler geometry of a narrow-sector-shaped container. Here the HCS loses its stability via a transcritical bifurcation. For some initial conditions a time-independent inhomogeneous density profile sets in, qualitatively similar to that previously found in a narrow-channel geometry. For other initial conditions, however, the dilute gas develops thermal collapse unarrested by heat diffusion. We determine the dynamic scalings of the flow close to collapse analytically and verify them in hydrodynamic simulations. The results of this work imply that, in dimension higher than one, Navier-Stokes hydrodynamics of a dilute granular gas is prone to finite-time density blowups. This provides a natural explanation to the formation of densely packed clusters of particles in a variety of initially dilute granular flows.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figure

Geometric Finite Element Discretization of Maxwell Equations in Primal and Dual Spaces

Based on a geometric discretization scheme for Maxwell equations, we unveil a mathematical\textit{\}transformation between the electric field intensity $E$ and the magnetic field intensity $H$, denoted as Galerkin duality. Using Galerkin duality and discrete Hodge operators, we construct two system matrices, $[ X_{E}]$ (primal formulation) and $[ X_{H}$ (dual formulation) respectively, that discretize the second-order vector wave equations. We show that the primal formulation recovers the conventional (edge-element) finite element method (FEM) and suggests a geometric foundation for it. On the other hand, the dual formulation suggests a new (dual) type of FEM. Although both formulations give identical dynamical physical solutions, the dimensions of the null spaces are different.Comment: 22 pages and 4 figure

A stability condition for turbulence model: From EMMS model to EMMS-based turbulence model

The closure problem of turbulence is still a challenging issue in turbulence modeling. In this work, a stability condition is used to close turbulence. Specifically, we regard single-phase flow as a mixture of turbulent and non-turbulent fluids, separating the structure of turbulence. Subsequently, according to the picture of the turbulent eddy cascade, the energy contained in turbulent flow is decomposed into different parts and then quantified. A turbulence stability condition, similar to the principle of the energy-minimization multi-scale (EMMS) model for gas-solid systems, is formulated to close the dynamic constraint equations of turbulence, allowing the heterogeneous structural parameters of turbulence to be optimized. We call this model the `EMMS-based turbulence model', and use it to construct the corresponding turbulent viscosity coefficient. To validate the EMMS-based turbulence model, it is used to simulate two classical benchmark problems, lid-driven cavity flow and turbulent flow with forced convection in an empty room. The numerical results show that the EMMS-based turbulence model improves the accuracy of turbulence modeling due to it considers the principle of compromise in competition between viscosity and inertia.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures, 2 table

Frequency-domain algorithm for the Lorenz-gauge gravitational self-force

State-of-the-art computations of the gravitational self-force (GSF) on massive particles in black hole spacetimes involve numerical evolution of the metric perturbation equations in the time-domain, which is computationally very costly. We present here a new strategy, based on a frequency-domain treatment of the perturbation equations, which offers considerable computational saving. The essential ingredients of our method are (i) a Fourier-harmonic decomposition of the Lorenz-gauge metric perturbation equations and a numerical solution of the resulting coupled set of ordinary equations with suitable boundary conditions; (ii) a generalized version of the method of extended homogeneous solutions [Phys. Rev. D {\bf 78}, 084021 (2008)] used to circumvent the Gibbs phenomenon that would otherwise hamper the convergence of the Fourier mode-sum at the particle's location; and (iii) standard mode-sum regularization, which finally yields the physical GSF as a sum over regularized modal contributions. We present a working code that implements this strategy to calculate the Lorenz-gauge GSF along eccentric geodesic orbits around a Schwarzschild black hole. The code is far more efficient than existing time-domain methods; the gain in computation speed (at a given precision) is about an order of magnitude at an eccentricity of 0.2, and up to three orders of magnitude for circular or nearly circular orbits. This increased efficiency was crucial in enabling the recently reported calculation of the long-term orbital evolution of an extreme mass ratio inspiral [Phys. Rev. D {\bf 85}, 061501(R) (2012)]. Here we provide full technical details of our method to complement the above report.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figure