Vortex–magnetic interactions shape magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, influencing energy transfer in astrophysical, geophysical and industrial systems. In the solar atmosphere, granular-scale vortex flows couple strongly with magnetic fields, channelling energy into the corona. At high Reynolds numbers, vorticity and magnetic fields are nearly frozen into the charged fluid, and MHD flows emerge from the Lorentz force mediated interactions between coherent vortex structures in matter and the field. To probe this competition in a controlled setting, we revisit the canonical problem of two antiparallel flux tubes. By varying the magnetic flux threading each tube – and thus sweeping the interaction parameter $N_i$, which gauges Lorentz-to-inertial force balance – we uncover three distinct regimes: vortex-dominated joint reconnection, instability-triggered cascade, and Lorentz-induced vortex disruption. At low $N_i$, classical vortex dynamics dominates, driving joint vortex–magnetic reconnection, and amplifying magnetic energy via a dynamo effect. At moderate $N_i$, the system oscillates between vorticity-driven attraction and magnetic damping, triggering instabilities and nonlinear interactions that spawn secondary filaments and drive an energy cascade. At high $N_i$, Lorentz forces suppress vortex interactions, aligning the tubes axially while disrupting vortex cores and rapidly converting magnetic to kinetic energy. These findings reveal how the inertial–Lorentz balance governs energy transfer and coherent structure formation in MHD turbulence, offering insight into vortex–magnetic co-evolution in astrophysical plasmas.

The effects of Reynolds number across ${\textit{Re}}=1000$, $2500$, $5000$ and $10\,000$ on separated flow over a two-dimensional NACA0012 airfoil at an angle of attack of $\alpha =14^\circ$ are investigated through biglobal resolvent analysis. We identify modal structures and energy amplifications over a range of frequencies, spanwise wavenumbers, and values of the discount parameter, providing insights across various time scales. Using temporal discounting, we find that the shear-layer dynamics dominates over short time horizons, while the wake dynamics becomes the primary amplification mechanism over long time horizons. Spanwise effects also appear over long time horizons, sustained by low frequencies. The low-frequency and high-wavenumber structures are found to be dominated by elliptic mechanisms within the recirculation region. At a fixed angle of attack and across the Reynolds numbers, the response modes shift from wake-dominated structures at low frequencies to shear-layer-dominated structures at higher frequencies. The frequency at which the dominant mechanism changes is independent of the Reynolds number. Comparisons at a different angle of attack ($\alpha =9^\circ$) show that the transition from wake to shear-layer dynamics with increasing frequency only occurs if the unsteady flow is three-dimensional. We also study the dominant frequencies associated with wake and shear-layer dynamics across the angles of attack and Reynolds numbers, and confirm characteristic scaling laws from the literature.

The effects of high-intensity, large-scale free stream turbulence on the aerodynamic loading and boundary layer flow field development on a NACA 0018 aerofoil model were studied experimentally using direct force measurements and particle image velocimetry at a chord Reynolds number of $7\times 10^4$. An active turbulence grid was used to generate free stream turbulence intensities of up to $16\,\%$ at integral length scales of the order of the aerofoil chord length. Relative to the clean flow condition with a free stream turbulence intensity of $0.1\,\%$, elevated levels of free stream turbulence intensity decrease the lift slope at low angles of attack, and increase the stall angle and maximum lift coefficient. At moderate angles of attack, high-intensity free stream turbulence causes large variations in the location of transition, with laminar flow occasionally persisting over $90\,\%$ of the chord length. At pre-stall angles of attack, high-intensity free stream turbulence causes intermittent massive separation. Variations in the extent of turbulence in the suction surface boundary layer are linked to fluctuations in effective angle of attack, suggesting that the observed variability in transition location is related to large-scale incoming flow disturbances impinging on the aerofoil model. A comparative analysis of the present results and those in previous studies for predominantly smaller integral length scales shows the importance of both the intensity and length scale of free stream turbulence on the flow development over the aerofoil.

Flag flutter frequently features a marked difference between the onset speed of flutter and the speed below which flutter stops. The hysteresis tends to be especially large in experiments as opposed to simulations. This phenomenon has been ascribed to inherent imperfections of flatness in experimental samples, which are thought to inhibit the onset of flutter but have a lesser effect once a flag is already fluttering. In this work, we present an experimental confirmation for this explanation through motion tracking. We also visualize the wake to assess the potential contribution of discrete vortex shedding to hysteresis. We then mould our understanding of the mechanism of bistability and additional observations on flag flutter into a novel, observation-based, semiempirical model for flag flutter in the form of a single ordinary differential equation. Despite its simplicity, the model successfully reproduces key features of the physical system such as bistability, sudden transitions between non-fluttering and fluttering states, amplitude growth and frequency growth.

We consider numerically a Lagrangian view of turbulent mixing in two-layer stably stratified parallel shear flow. By varying the ratio of shear layer depth to density interface thickness, these flows are prone to either a primary Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI) or to a primary Holmboe wave instability (HWI). These instabilities are conventionally thought to mix qualitatively differently; by vortical ‘overturning’ of the density interface induced by KHI, or by turbulent ‘scouring’ on the edges of the density interface induced by HWI. By tracking Lagrangian particles in direct numerical simulations, so that the fluid buoyancy sampled along particle paths provides a particular Lagrangian measure of mixing, we investigate the validity of this overturning/scouring classification. The timing of mixing events experienced by particles inside and outside the interface is qualitatively different in simulations exhibiting KHI and HWI. The root mean square (r.m.s.) buoyancy for particles that start with the same buoyancy is actually larger for HWI-associated flows than for KHI-associated flows for the same bulk Richardson number $Ri_b$, implying heterogeneous mixing along particle paths for HWI. The number of particles starting close to the mid-plane of the interface which experience a change in sign in the local fluid buoyancy (and hence end up on the opposite side of the mid-plane after mixing) is compared for KHI and HWI in flows with various $Ri_b$. Perhaps surprisingly, for HWI with a large $Ri_b$, more than half of the particles that start near the mid-plane end up on the opposite side of the mid-plane.

The reconfiguration of flexible aquatic vegetation and the associated forces have been extensively studied under two-dimensional flow conditions – such as unidirectional currents, pure waves and co-directional wave–current flows. However, behaviour under more complex, orthogonal wave–current flows remains largely unexplored. In coastal environments, such orthogonal flows arise when waves propagate perpendicular to a longshore current. To improve understanding of how aquatic vegetation helps protect coastlines and attenuates waves, we extended existing effective-length scaling laws that were validated in pure currents, pure waves, and co-directional waves and currents to orthogonal wave–current conditions by introducing new definitions of the Cauchy number. Experiments were conducted in a wave–current basin, where cylindrical rubber stems were mounted on force transducers to measure hydrodynamic forces. Stem velocities were extracted from video recordings to compute the relative velocity between the flow and the stems. Incorporating the phase shift between flow and stem velocities into the force models significantly improved predictions. Comparison of predicted and measured forces showed good agreement for both pure wave and wave–current scenarios, underscoring the importance of phase shifts and velocity reduction for force estimation. Our hypothesised effective-length scaling parameters under wave–current conditions were validated, but with a higher scaling coefficient due to inertial effects from the larger material aspect ratio. These findings offer new insights into the hydrodynamics of flexible structures under complex coastal flow conditions.