Application of the dynamic mode decomposition to experimental data

The dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is a data-decomposition technique that allows the extraction of dynamically relevant flow features from time-resolved experimental (or numerical) data. It is based on a sequence of snapshots from measurements that are subsequently processed by an iterative Krylov technique. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a low-dimensional representation of an approximate inter-snapshot map then produce flow information that describes the dynamic processes contained in the data sequence. This decomposition technique applies equally to particle-image velocimetry data and image-based flow visualizations and is demonstrated on data from a numerical simulation of a flame based on a variable-density jet and on experimental data from a laminar axisymmetric water jet. In both cases, the dominant frequencies are detected and the associated spatial structures are identified. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.