  We present simulations of coherent structures in compressible flows near the
transition to turbulence using the Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) method.
The structures we find are remarkably consistent with experimental observations
and DNS simulations of incompressible flows, despite a difference in Mach
number of several orders of magnitude. The bifurcation from the laminar flow is
bistable and shifts to higher Reynolds numbers when the fluid becomes more
compressible. This work underlines the robustness of coherent structures in the
transition to turbulence and illustrates the ability of particle-based methods
to reproduce complex non-linear instabilities.
