Description of laminar-turbulent transition of an airfoil boundary layer measured by differential image thermography using directed percolation theory

The laminar-turbulent transition still poses a challenging problem to fluid dynamic research. This study shows how differential image thermography can be utilized to capture the spatiotemporal aspects of this phenomenon along the curved surface of an airfoil. Further, an incredible agreement between the transition characteristics and the (1+1)D directed percolation theory is observed for a broad range of experimental parameters, namely angle of attack and inflow velocity.