  When turbulent structures split more frequently before they decay, persistent
turbulence forms in neutral fluid shear flows. Whether this concept can be
extended to linear magnetized plasmas is investigated here and compared to the
behavior of the pipe flow. With increasing control parameter the dynamics in
the magnetized plasmas is known to undergo several changes from a quasiperiodic
to a phase locked to a weakly turbulent regime. When the phase-locked regime
breaks down, the splitting time approaches the decreasing lifetime reflecting
self-sustained turbulence, as known from the pipe flow.
