Multistability of elasto-inertial two-dimensional channel flow

Elasto-inertial turbulence (EIT) is a recently discovered two-dimensional chaotic flow state observed in dilute polymer solutions. Two possibilities are currently hypothesized to be linked to the dynamical origins of EIT: (i) viscoelastic Tollmien-Schlichting waves and (ii) a centre-mode instability. The nonlinear evolution of the centre mode leads to a travelling wave with an 'arrowhead' structure in the polymer conformation, a structure also observed instantaneously in simulations of EIT. In this work we conduct a suite of two-dimensional direct numerical simulations spanning a wide range of polymeric flow parameters to examine the possible dynamical connection between the arrowhead and EIT. Our calculations reveal (up to) four coexistent attractors: the laminar state and a steady arrowhead regime (SAR), along with EIT and a 'chaotic arrowhead regime' (CAR). The SAR is stable for all parameters considered here, while the final pair of (chaotic) flow states are visually very similar and can be distinguished only by the presence of a weak polymer arrowhead structure in the CAR regime. Analysis of energy transfers between the flow and the polymer indicates that both chaotic regimes are maintained by an identical near-wall mechanism and that the weak arrowhead does not play a role. Our results suggest that the arrowhead is a benign flow structure that is disconnected from the self-sustaining mechanics of EIT.