On the decay of turbulence in plane Couette flow

The decay of turbulent and laminar oblique bands in the lower transitional range of plane Couette flow is studied by means of direct numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations. We consider systems that are extended enough for several bands to exist, thanks to mild wall-normal under-resolution considered as a consistent and well-validated modelling strategy. We point out a two-stage process involving the rupture of a band followed by a slow regression of the fragments left. Previous approaches to turbulence decay in wall-bounded flows making use of the chaotic transient paradigm are reinterpreted within a spatiotemporal perspective in terms of large deviations of an underlying stochastic process.