Self-supervised transformers for turbulent flow time series

There has been a rapid advancement in deep learning models for diverse research fields and, more recently, in fluid dynamics. This study presents self-supervised transformers' deep learning for complex turbulent flow signals across various test problems. Self-supervision aims to leverage the ability to extract meaningful representations from sparse flow time-series data to improve the transformer model accuracy and computational efficiency. Two high-speed flow cases are considered: a supersonic compression ramp and shock-boundary layer interaction over a statically deformed surface. Several training scenarios are investigated across the two different supersonic configurations. The training data concern wall pressure fluctuations due to their importance in aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, noise, and acoustic fatigue. The results provide insight into transformers, self-supervision, and deep learning with application to complex time series. The architecture is extendable to other research domains where time series data are essential.