Edge manifold as a Lagrangian coherent structure in a high-dimensional state space

Dissipative dynamical systems characterized by two basins of attraction are found in many physical systems, notably in hydrodynamics where laminar and turbulent regimes can coexist. The state space of such systems is structured around a dividing manifold called the edge, which separates trajectories attracted by the laminar state from those reaching the turbulent state. We apply here concepts and tools from Lagrangian data analysis to investigate this edge manifold. This approach is carried out in the state space of autonomous arbitrarily high-dimensional dissipative systems, in which the edge manifold is reinterpreted as a Lagrangian coherent structure (LCS). Two different diagnostics, finite-time Lyapunov exponents and Lagrangian descriptors, are used and compared with respect to their ability to identify the edge and their scalability. Their properties are illustrated on several low-order models of subcritical transition of increasing dimension and complexity, as well on well-resolved simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations in the case of plane Couette flow. They allow for a mapping of the global structure of both the state space and the edge manifold based on quantitative information. Both diagnostics can also be used to generate efficient bisection algorithms to approach asymptotic edge states, which outperform classical edge tracking.