Thickness fluctuations in turbulent soap films

Rapidly flowing soap films provide a simple and attractive system to study two-dimensional hydrodynamics and turbulence. By measuring the rapid fluctuations of the thickness of the film in the turbulent regime, we find that the statistics of these fluctuations closely resemble those of a passive scalar field in a turbulent flow. The scalar spectra are well described by Kolmogorov-like scaling while the high-order moments show clear deviations from regular scaling just like dye or temperature fluctuations in 3D turbulent flows.     

Numerical investigation of scaling regimes in a model of an anisotropically advected vector field

Influence of strong uniaxial small-scale anisotropy on the stability of inertial-range scaling regimes in a model of a passive transverse vector field advected by an incompressible turbulent flow is investigated by means of the field theoretic renormalization group. Turbulent fluctuations of the velocity field are taken to have the Gaussian statistics with zero mean and defined noise with finite correlations in time. It is shown that stability of the inertial-range scaling regimes in the three-dimensional case is not destroyed by anisotropy, but the corresponding stability of the two-dimensional system can be corrupted by the presence of anisotropy. A borderline dimension d _c below which the stability of the scaling regime is not present is calculated as a function of anisotropy parameters. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Relating Lagrangian passive scalar scaling exponents to Eulerian scaling exponents in turbulence

Intermittency is a basic feature of fully developed turbulence, for both velocity and passive scalars. Intermittency is classically characterized by Eulerian scaling exponent of structure functions. The same approach can be used in a Lagrangian framework to characterize the temporal intermittency of the velocity and passive scalar concentration of a an element of fluid advected by a turbulent intermittent field. Here we focus on Lagrangian passive scalar scaling exponents, and discuss their possible links with Eulerian passive scalar and mixed velocity-passive scalar structure functions. We provide different transformations between these scaling exponents, associated to different transformations linking space and time scales. We obtain four new explicit relations. Experimental data are needed to test these predictions for Lagrangian passive scalar scaling exponents.     

Large-scale structure of passive scalar turbulence

We investigate the large-scale statistics of a passive scalar transported by a turbulent velocity field by means of direct numerical simulations. We focus on scales larger than the characteristic length scale of scalar injection, yet smaller than the correlation length of the velocity. We show the existence of nontrivial long-range correlations in the form of new power laws for the decay of high-order coarse-grained scalar cumulants. This result contradicts the classical scenario of Gibbs equilibrium statistics that should hold in the absence of scalar flux. The breakdown of "thermal equilibrium" at large scales is traced back to the statistical geometry of turbulent dispersion of two scalar blobs. The numerical values obtained for the scaling exponents of the coarse-grained scalar cumulants are in agreement with recent theoretical results.     

Anomalous scaling in a non-Gaussian random shell model for passive scalars

In this paper, we have introduced a shell-model of Kraichnan's passive scalar problem. Different from the original problem, the prescribed random velocity field is non-Gaussian and $\delta$ correlated in time, and its introduction is inspired by She and L\'{e}v\^{e}que (Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 72}, 336 (1994)). For comparison, we also give the passive scalar advected by the Gaussian random velocity field. The anomalous scaling exponents $H(p)$ of passive scalar advected by these two kinds of random velocities above are determined for structure function with values of $p$ up to 15 by Monte Carlo simulations of the random shell model, with Gear methods used to solve the stochastic differential equations. We find that the $H(p)$ advected by the non-Gaussian random velocity is not more anomalous than that advected by the Gaussian random velocity. Whether the advecting velocity is non-Gaussian or Gaussian, similar scaling exponents of passive scalar are obtained with the same molecular diffusivity.     

Advection of a passive vector field by the Gaussian velocity field with finite correlations in time

Using the field theoretic renormalization group technique the model of a passive vector field advected by an incompressible turbulent flow is investigated up to the second order of the perturbation theory (two-loop approximation). The turbulent environment is given by statistical fluctuations of the velocity field that has a Gaussian distribution with zero mean and defined noise with finite correlations in time. Two-loop analysis of all possible scaling regimes in general d-dimensional space is done in the plane of exponents ? ? η, where ? characterizes the energy spectrum of the velocity field in the inertial range E ∝ k ^{1 ? 2ε}, and η is related to the correlation time at the wave number k which is scaled as k ^{?2 + η}. It is shown that the scaling regimes of the present model of vector advection have essentially different properties than the scaling regimes of the corresponding model of passively advected scalar quantity. The results demonstrate the fact that within the present model of passively advected vector field the internal tensor structure of the advected field can have nontrivial impact on the diffusion processes deep inside in the inertial interval of given turbulent flow.     

Influence of velocity spatiotemporal correlations on the anomalous scaling exponents of passive scalars

In this paper, we consider spatial-temporal correlation functions of the turbulent velocities. With numerical simulations on the Gledzer--Ohkitani--Yamada (GOY) shell model, we show that the correlation function decays exponentially. The advecting velocity field is regarded as a colored noise field, which is spatially and temporally correlative. For comparison, we are also given the scaling exponents of passive scalars obtained by the Gaussian random velocity field, the multi-dimensional normal velocity field and the She--Leveque velocity field, introduced by She, et al. We observe that extended self-similarity scaling exponents H(p)/ H(2) of passive scalar obtained by the colored noise field are more anomalous than those obtained by the other three velocity fields.     

Scaling and universality in turbulent convection

Anomalous correlation functions of the temperature field in two-dimensional turbulent convection are shown to be universal with respect to the choice of external sources. Moreover, they are equal to the anomalous correlations of the concentration field of a passive tracer advected by the convective flow itself. The statistics of velocity differences is found to be universal, self-similar, and close to Gaussian. These results point to the conclusion that temperature intermittency in two-dimensional turbulent convection may be traced back to the existence of statistically preserved structures, as it is in passive scalar turbulence.     

Statistical properties of passive scalar in a random flow with a strong shear component

We study mixing of passive scalar by a chaotic velocity field with a relatively strong regular shear component. We show that the tail of partition distribution function (PDF) of coarse-grained passive scalar field differs qualitatively from the corresponding asymptotics in the case of isotropic flow statistics.     

Fractal Iso-Contours of Passive Scalar in Two-Dimensional Smooth Random Flows

A passive scalar field was studied under the action of pumping, diffusion and advection by a 2D smooth flow with Lagrangian chaos. We present theoretical arguments showing that the scalar statistics are not conformally invariant and formulate a new effective semi-analytic algorithm to model scalar turbulence. We then carry out massive numerics of scalar turbulence, focusing on nodal lines. The distribution of contours over sizes and perimeters is shown to depend neither on the flow realization nor on the resolution (diffusion) scale r _d for scales exceeding r _d . The scalar isolines are found to be fractal/smooth at scales larger/smaller than the pumping scale. We characterize the statistics of isoline bending by the driving function of the Löwner map. That function is found to behave like diffusion with diffusivity independent of the resolution yet, most surprisingly, dependent on the velocity realization and time (beyond the time on which the statistics of the scalar is stabilized).     

Intermittency of temperature field in turbulent convection

The scaling behavior of the temperature structure functions in turbulent convection is found to be different for length scales below and above the Bolgiano scale. Both sets of the exponents are well described by log-Poisson statistics. The parameter beta(T) which measures the degree of intermittency is the same for the two regimes of scales and is consistent with the corresponding value for the passive scalar field. A balance between thermal forcing and nonlinear velocity advection, which is a key ingredient leading to Bolgiano scaling, is also checked.     

Influence of Velocity Shell Correlations on Anomalous Scaling Exponents of Passive Scalars in Shell Models

We propose a new approach to the old-standing problem of the anomaly of the scaling exponents of passive scalars of turbulence. Different to the original problem, the distribution function of the prescribed random velocity field is multi-dimensional normal and delta-correlated in time. Here, our random velocity field is spatially correlative. For comparison, we also give the result obtained by the Gaussian random velocity field without spatial correlation. The anomalous scaling exponents H(p) of passive scalar advected by two kinds of random velocity above are determined for structure function up to p=15 by numerical simulations of the random shell model with Runge-Kutta methods to solve the stochastic differential equations. We observed that the H(p)'s obtained by the multi-dimensional normal distribution random velocity are more anomalous than those obtained by the independent Gaussian random velocity.     

Advection of passive magnetic field by the Gaussian velocity field with finite correlations in time and spatial parity violation

Using the field theoretic renormalization group technique the model of passively advected weak magnetic field by an incompressible isotropic helical turbulent flow is investigated up to the second order of the perturbation theory (two-loop approximation) in the framework of an extended Kazantsev-Kraichnan model of kinematic magnetohydrodynamics. Statistical fluctuations of the velocity field are taken in the form of a Gaussian distribution with zero mean and defined noise with finite correlations in time. The two-loop analysis of all possible scaling regimes is done and the influence of helicity on the stability of scaling regimes is discussed and shown in the plane of exponents ? ? η, where ? characterizes the energy spectrum of the velocity field in the inertial range E ∞ k ^{1 ? 2ε}, and η is related to the correlation time at the wave number k which is scaled as k ^{?2 + η}. It is shown that in non-helical case the scaling regimes of the present vector model are completely identical and have also the same properties as those obtained in the corresponding model of passively advected scalar field. Besides, it is also shown that when the turbulent environment under consideration is helical then the properties of the scaling regimes in models of passively advected scalar and vector (magnetic) fields are essentially different. The results demonstrate the importance of the presence of a symmetry breaking in a given turbulent environment for investigation of the influence of an internal tensor structure of the advected field on the inertial range scaling properties of the model under consideration and will be used in the analysis of the influence of helicity on the anomalous scaling of correlation functions of passively advected magnetic field.     

Influence of helicity on scaling regimes in model of passive scalar advected by the turbulent velocity field with finite correlation time

The advection of a passive scalar quantity by incompressible helical turbulent flow has been investigated in the frame of an extended Kraichnan model. Statistical fluctuations of the velocity field are assumed to have the Gaussian distribution with zero mean and defined noise with finite time-correlation. Actual calculations have been done up to two-loop approximation in the frame of the field-theoretic renormalization group approach. It turned out that the space parity violation (helicity) of a stochastic environment does not affect anomalous scaling which is the peculiar attribute of corresponding model without helicity. However, stability of asymptotic regimes, where anomalous scaling takes place, and the effective diffusivity strongly depend on the amount of helicity.     

Passive scalar transport in peripheral regions of random flows

We investigate statistical properties of the passive scalar mixing in random (turbulent) flows assuming its diffusion to be weak. Then at advanced stages of the passive scalar decay, its unmixed residue is primarily concentrated in a narrow diffusive layer near the wall and its transport to the bulk goes through the peripheral region (laminar sublayer of the flow). We conducted Lagrangian numerical simulations of the process for different space dimensions d and revealed structures responsible for the transport, which are passive scalar tongues pulled from the diffusive boundary layer to the bulk. We investigated statistical properties of the passive scalar and of the passive scalar integrated along the wall. Moments of both objects demonstrate scaling behavior outside the diffusive boundary layer. We propose an analytic scheme for the passive scalar statistics, explaining the features observed numerically.     

The effect of subgrid-scale models on the entrainment of a passive scalar in a turbulent planar jet

Classical large-eddy simulation (LES) modelling assumes that the passive subgrid-scale (SGS) models do not influence large-scale quantities, even though there is now ample evidence of this in many flows. In this work, direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large-eddy simulations of turbulent planar jets at Reynolds number Re_H = 6000 including a passive scalar with Schmidt number Sc = 0.7 are used to study the effect of several SGS models on the flow integral quantities e.g. velocity and scalar jet spreading rates. The models analysed are theSmagorinsky, dynamic Smagorinsky, shear-improved Smagorinsky and the Vreman. Detailed analysis of the thin layer bounding the turbulent and non-turbulent regions – the so-called turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) – shows that this region raises new challenges for classical SGS models. The small scales are far from equilibrium and contain a high fraction of the total kinetic energy and scalar variance, but the situation is worse for the scalar than for the velocity field. Both a-priori and a-posteriori (LES) tests show that the dynamic Smagorinsky and shear-improved models give the best results because they are able to accurately capture the correct statistics of the velocity and passive scalar fluctuations near the TNTI. The results also suggest the existence of a critical resolution Δ_x, of the order of the Taylor scale λ, which is needed for the scalar field. Coarser passive scalar LES i.e. Δ_x ≥ λ results in dramatic changes in the integral quantities. This fact is explained by the dynamics of the small scales near the jet interface.     

Large-scale anisotropy in scalar turbulence

The effect of anisotropy on the statistics of a passive tracer transported by a turbulent flow is investigated. We show that under broad conditions an arbitrarily small amount of anisotropy propagates to the large scales where it eventually dominates the structure of the concentration field. This result is obtained analytically in the framework of an exactly solvable model and confirmed by numerical simulations of scalar transport in two-dimensional turbulence.     

Simple model of intermittent passive scalar turbulence

The passive scalar convection by chaotic two-dimensional incompressible flow is studied. Analytically solvable equations are suggested to describe the evolution of the probability density functions of tracer gradients and power spectra. The parameters of the model are expressed explicitly via the correlation functions of the velocity field. The multifractal spectrum f(alpha) of the scalar dissipation field is calculated; strict multifractality holds only for small values of alpha. Stationary and exponentially decaying power spectra of the scalar are obtained.