Ring bursting behavior en route to turbulence in quasi two-dimensional Taylor-Couette flows

We investigate the quasi two-dimensional Taylor-Couette system in the regime where the radius ratio is close to unity - a transitional regime between three and two dimensions. By systematically increasing the Reynolds number we observe a number of standard transitions, such as one from the classical Taylor vortex flow (TVF) to wavy vortex flow (WVF), as well as the transition to fully developed turbulence. Prior to the onset of turbulence we observe intermittent burst patterns of localized turbulent patches, confirming the experimentally observed pattern of very short wavelength bursts (VSWBs). A striking finding is that, for Reynolds number larger than the onset of VSWBs, a new type of intermittently bursting behaviors emerge: burst patterns of azimuthally closed rings of various orders. We call them ring-burst patterns, which surround the cylinder completely but remain localized and separated by non-turbulent mostly wavy structures in the axial direction. We use a number of quantitative measures, including the cross-flow energy, to characterize the ring-burst patterns and to distinguish them from the background flow. The ring-burst patterns are interesting because it does not occur in either three- or two-dimensional Taylor-Couette flow: it occurs only in the transition, quasi two-dimensional regime of the system, a regime that is less studied but certainly deserves further attention so as to obtain deeper insights into turbulence.