Wavepackets in subsonic elliptical jets: coherent-structure eduction and linear modelling

We study coherent structures extracted from time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) measurements of isothermal elliptical jets with aspect ratio of 1:2, at Mach numbers 0.4 and 0.7. The velocity snapshots are decomposed according to the D${}_2$ symmetry. Spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) is then used to identify coherent structures. Modelling is performed using three-dimensional parabolised stability equations (3D-PSE) based on linearisation about the time-averaged mean flows. A comparison between SPOD and 3D-PSE results shows alignment of SPOD and single-mode PSE structures of up to 70%. A linear combination of PSE solutions, obtained from the family of initially unstable local modes, leads to SPOD-PSE alignment of up to 90%. Limitations are observed at low frequencies and near the nozzle and are attributed to the existence of non-modal amplification mechanisms. The study shows that coherent structures in turbulent elliptical jets can be educed using the D${}_2$-SPOD approach, and modelled using 3D PSE.