Zur spektralen Verteilung der Turbulenzenergie und ihrer Komponenten in turbulenten Grenzschichten

On the Spectral Distribution of Turbulent Energy and Components in Turbulent Boundary Layers KOLMOGOROV 's theory of the inertial subrange of energy spectrum is presented for turbulent boundary layers. As a consequence KOVASZNAY 's formula for the transfer of kinetic energy is confirmed. It is shown that the structure of the turbulent transfer of momentum in boundary layers is analogous to the structure of the transfer of kinetic energy in the spectrum. For the spectral distribution of the turbulent shear stress in the subrange a k^?3 law (k wave number) – apparently in agreement with measurements – is derived from dimensional arguments. It follows that the exchange of energy among the components of turbulent energy in the subrange is some orders of magnitude smaller than the latter.     

Geometry and scaling laws of excursion and iso-sets of enstrophy and dissipation in isotropic turbulence

Motivated by interest in the geometry of high intensity events of turbulent flows, we examine the spatial correlation functions of sets where turbulent events are particularly intense. These sets are defined using indicator functions on excursion and iso-value sets. Their geometric scaling properties are analysed by examining possible power-law decay of their radial correlation function. We apply the analysis to enstrophy, dissipation and velocity gradient invariants Q and R and their joint spatial distributions, using data from a direct numerical simulation of isotropic turbulence at Re_λ ≈ 430. While no fractal scaling is found in the inertial range using box-counting in the finite Reynolds number flow considered here, power-law scaling in the inertial range is found in the radial correlation functions. Thus, a geometric characterisation in terms of these sets’ correlation dimension is possible. Strong dependence on the enstrophy and dissipation threshold is found, consistent with multifractal behaviour. Nevertheless, the lack of scaling of the box-counting analysis precludes direct quantitative comparisons with earlier work based on multifractal formalism. Surprising trends, such as a lower correlation dimension for strong dissipation events compared to strong enstrophy events, are observed and interpreted in terms of spatial coherence of vortices in the flow.     

Asymptotics of unit Burger number rotating and stratified flows for small aspect ratio

Rotating and stably stratified Boussinesq flow is investigated for Burger number unity in domain aspect ratio (height/horizontal length) δ<1 and δ=1. To achieve Burger number unity, the non-dimensional rotation and stratification frequencies (Rossby and Froude numbers, respectively) are both set equal to a second small parameter ?<1. Non-dimensionalization of potential vorticity distinguishes contributions proportional to (?δ)⁻¹, δ⁻¹ and O(1). The (?δ)⁻¹ terms are the linear terms associated with the pseudo-potential vorticity of the quasi-geostrophic limit. For fixed δ=1/4 and a series of decreasing ?, numerical simulations are used to assess the importance of the δ⁻¹ contribution of potential vorticity to the potential enstrophy. The change in the energy spectral scalings is studied as ? is decreased. For intermediate values of ?, as the flow transitions to the (δ?)⁻¹ regime in potential vorticity, both the wave and vortical components of the energy spectrum undergo changes in their scaling behavior. For sufficiently small ?, the (δ?)⁻¹ contributions dominate the potential vorticity, and the vortical mode spectrum recovers k⁻³ quasi-geostrophic scaling. However, the wave mode spectrum shows scaling that is very different from the well-known k⁻¹ scaling observed for the same asymptotics at δ=1. Visualization of the wave component of the horizontal velocity at δ=1/4 reveals a tendency toward a layered structure while there is no evidence of layering in the δ=1 case. The investigation makes progress toward quantifying the effects of aspect ratio δ on the ?→0 asymptotics for the wave component of unit Burger number flows. At the lowest value of ?=0.002, it is shown that the horizontal kinetic energy spectral scalings are consistent with phenomenology that explains how linear potential vorticity constrains energy in the limit ?→0 for fixed δ.     

Dynamos at extreme magnetic Prandtl numbers: insights from shell models

We present a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shell model suitable for computation of various energy fluxes of MHD turbulence for very small and very large magnetic Prandtl numbers Pm; such computations are inaccessible to direct numerical simulations. For small Pm, we observe that both kinetic and magnetic energy spectra scale as k^?5/3 in the inertial range, but the dissipative magnetic energy scales as k^?11/3exp?(? k/k_η). Here the kinetic energy at large length scale feeds the large-scale magnetic field that cascades to small-scale magnetic field, which gets dissipated by Joule heating. The large-Pm dynamo has a similar behaviour except that the dissipative kinetic energy scales as k^?13/3. For this case, the large-scale velocity field transfers energy to the large-scale magnetic field, which gets transferred to small-scale velocity and magnetic fields; the energy of the small-scale magnetic field also gets transferred to the small-scale velocity field, and the energy thus accumulated is dissipated by the viscous force.     

Decaying turbulence in the presence of a shearless uniform kinetic energy gradient

The decay of turbulent kinetic energy in nearly isotropic grid turbulence has been studied extensively as a fundamental point of reference for turbulence theories and numerical simulations. Most studies have focused on nearly homogeneous turbulence characterised by power-law decay. Other studies have focused on so-called shearless mixing layers, in which two regions with the same mean velocity but distinctly different kinetic energy levels slowly diffuse into each other downstream thus providing information about spatial transport of turbulence. Here, we introduce and study another type of shearless turbulent flow. It has initially a nearly uniform spatial gradient of kinetic energy of the form k ～ β(y ? y₀), where y is the spanwise position. In the experiments, this gradient is generated with the use of an active grid and screens mounted upstream of the wind-tunnel’s test section, iteratively designed to produce a uniform gradient of turbulent kinetic energy without mean velocity shear. Data are acquired using X-wire thermal anemometry at different spanwise and downstream locations. Profile measurements are used to quantify the constancy of the mean velocity and the linearity of the initial profile of kinetic energy. Measurements show that at all spanwise locations, the decay in the streamwise direction follows a power-law but with exponents n(y) that depend upon the spanwise location. The results are consistent with a decay of the form k/?u?² = β(x/x_ref)^?n(y)(y ? y₀)/M. Results for the development of integral length scale, and for velocity skewness and flatness factors are also presented. Significant deviations from Gaussianity are observed especially for the spanwise velocity component in the lower kinetic energy region. Future experiments will be needed including measurements of the dissipation rate ? at sufficient accuracy, in order to unambiguously partition the energy decay into dissipation and spatial diffusion.     

Energy spectra of quantum turbulence in He II and 3He-B: A unified view

Quantum turbulence in superfluid He II and in ³He-B that can be regarded as nearly isothermal, isotropic, and homogeneous is discussed within the two-fluid model. A general form of the 3D energy spectrum is proposed: at large length scales, where normal and superfluid eddies are locked together by the mutual friction force, the energy spectrum is essentially classical and includes an inertial range of a Kolmogorov K62 form. With increasing wavenumber k, the normal fluid part of the spectrum terminates due to finite viscosity, while the superfluid part of the spectral energy density changes towards k ⁻³ and then back into Kolmogorov-like k ^−5/3 again. Agreement with computer simulations and experiments is claimed if account is taken of the turbulent box size and of the energy decay rate. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

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.     

Cosmic Antiproton Spectrum at the Top of the Atmosphere Derived from the New Scaling Model

The new scaling variable model explains the scaling behavior of p + p → p + X inclusive reactions at ISR energies. The cosmic antiproton spectrum has been derived from this model using the primary proton spectrum of RYAN et al. The derived antiproton-proton flux ratio lies within the upper limit value of BOGOMOLOV et al. and CHEN. The estimated antiproton spectrum follows the relation where the antiproton energy E_p is expressed in GeV and the intensity in units (cm² sec sr GeV)^?1.     

Statistical properties of freely decaying two-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulence

Statistical characteristics of freely decaying two-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulence at high Reynolds numbers are numerically studied. In particular, numerical experiments (with resolution up to 8192 × 8192) provide a Kraichnan-type turbulence spectrum E _k ～ k ^?3. By means of spatial filtration, it is found that the main contribution to the spectrum comes from sharp vorticity gradients in the form of quasi-shocks. Such quasi-singularities are responsible for a strong angular dependence of the spectrum owing to well-localized (in terms of the angle) jets with minor and/or large overlapping. In each jet, the spectrum decreases as k ^?3. The behavior of the third-order structure function accurately agrees with the Kraichnan direct cascade concept corresponding to a constant enstrophy flux. It is shown that the power law exponents ξ _n for higher structure functions grow with n more slowly than the linear dependence, thus indicating turbulence intermittency.     

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.     

Experimental study on the local similarity scaling of the turbulence spectrum in the turbulent boundary layer

The streamwise fluctuating velocity in the turbulent boundary layer is measured under approximately medium Reynolds Number by hot wire in order to investigate the scaling properties of the overlapped turbulent spectrum among energy-containing area, inertial subrange and dissipation range based on FFT analysis. The experiment indicates that the high Reynolds flow reported before is not indispensable to produce −1 scaling. So far as the measured position is provided with much higher spatial resolution and enough closing to the wall, −1 scaling is determinate to exist when approaching medium Reynolds. The scaling ranges are supposed to begin at inner scale and end in outer scale, which reveals the local similarity of the energy spectrum over the energy-containing eddies near the wall. In the logarithmic area (y ⁺ > 130), −5/3 scaling occurs in the energy spectrum, while moving away from the wall with Reynolds numbers increasing, the inertial subrange extends to the lower wavenumbers. On the condition k ₁ η ≫ 0.1, the curves of the turbulence spectrum in the logarithmic layer are superposed, which expresses the similarity of turbulence energy distributed in Komogorov scaling area and exhibits local isotropy characteristics by virtue of the viscous dissipation. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10832001 and 10872145), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Universities of Education Ministry of China, and the Plan of Tianjin Science and Technology Development (Grant No. 06TXTJJC13800)     

Formation of an energy cascade in a system of vortices on the surface of water

The formation of an energy cascade in a system of vortices generated by perpendicular standing waves with a frequency of 6 Hz on the water surface has been experimentally studied. It has been found that peaks appear on the energy distribution over wave vectors E(k) after switching on pumping. These peaks are transformed with time because of the energy redistribution over scales. The stationary distribution E(k) established 300 s after switching on pumping can be described by a power-law function of the wave vector E(k) ～ k^1.75. It has been shown that waves with frequencies of about 18, 15, 12, 9, and 3 Hz appear on the surface of water owing to the nonlinear interaction at the excitation of a 6-Hz wave. It is assumed that the energy cascade of the turbulent motion in the wave vector range of 0.3–5 cm^?1 is formed by the nonlinear interaction between vortices generated by all waves propagating on the surface and direct energy fluxes toward high wave vectors dominate.     

Spectral energy balance in dry convective boundary layers

Three-dimensional large-eddy simulations (LES) of the convective boundary layer over a domain of approximately 6 km are performed with the UCLA LES model. Simulations are forced with a constant surface heat flux and prescribed subsidence, and are run to equilibrium. Sub-grid scale fluxes are parameterised with the Smagorinsky–Lilly scheme. A range of grid spacings from 40 down to 5 m are employed. Kinetic energy spectra and the various terms in the kinetic energy spectral budget – heat flux, nonlinear transfer, pressure, and dissipation – are computed using two-dimensional discrete Fourier transforms at every vertical level. Despite the fact that isotropic grid spacings of down to 5 m (grid sizes of 1152²×400) were used, an inertial range with a ?5/3 spectrum is not obtained. Rather, shallower energy spectral slopes that are closer to ?4/3 are found. The shallower spectra are shown to possibly result from the injection of kinetic energy over a wide range of scales via a very broad heat flux spectrum. Only with the highest resolution (Δx = 5 m) does the total heat flux begin to converge and the possibility of local isotropy emerge at small scales. Dependence on surface heat flux and domain size is considered. Preliminary sub-grid scale sensitivity results are obtained through comparison with the turbulent kinetic energy sub-grid scale model.     

Developing homogeneous isotropic turbulence

We investigate the self-similar evolution of the transient energy spectrum, which precedes the establishment of the Kolmogorov spectrum in homogeneous isotropic turbulence in three dimensions using the EDQNM closure model. The transient evolution exhibits self-similarity of the second kind and has a non-trivial dynamical scaling exponent, which results in the transient spectrum having a scaling that is steeper than the Kolmogorov k^−5/3 spectrum. Attempts to detect a similar phenomenon in DNS data are inconclusive, owing to the limited range of scales available.     

Investigation of anomalous very fast decay regimes in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

The emergence of anomalous fast decay regimes in homogeneous isotropic turbulence (HIT) decay is investigated via both theoretical analysis and eddy-damped quasi-normal Markovian simulations. The work provides new insight about a fundamental issue playing a role in HIT decay, namely the influence of non-standard shapes of the energy spectrum, in particular in the large energetic scale region. A detailed analysis of the kinetic energy spectrum E(k) and the non-linear energy transfer T(k) shows that anomalous decay regimes are associated with the relaxation of initial energy spectra which exhibit a bump at energetic scales. This feature induces an increase in the energy cascade rate, toward solutions with a smooth shape at the spectrum peak. Present results match observations reported in wind-tunnel experiments dealing with turbulence decay in the wake of grids and bluff bodies, including scaling laws for the dissipation parameter C_?. They also indicate that the ratio between the initial eddy turnover time and the advection time determines of how fast anomalous regimes relax toward classical turbulence free-decay. This parameter should be used for consistent data comparison and it opens perspectives for the control of multiscale effects in industrial applications.     

Structure functions in two-dimensional turbulence

The “variable range decomposition” mean field type approximation is applied to the enstrophy and energy balance equations in 2D homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. Enstrophy is seen to be transferred to smaller scales, energy to larger scales. The approximate enstrophy balance equation is supplemented by an exact relation between the velocity structure functionD(r) and the vorticity structure functionD _ω(r) to form a closed set of equations that is used to calculateD andD _ω from scale zero up to the input scale.D _ω is found to depend only on viscosity and the enstrophy dissipation ε_ω and tends to the constant ≈15ε _ω ^2/3 in the enstrophy inertial range.D(r) in addition to the well-knownr ²-law has a second power law term ∝r ^4/3, which is important in the intermediate range between the viscous range and the enstrophy inertial range. All numerical constants are calculated.     

Sustained turbulence in the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii model

We study the three-dimensional forced-dissipated Gross-Pitaevskii equation. We force at relatively low wave numbers, expecting to observe a direct energy cascade and a consequent power-law spectrum of the form k^−α. Our numerical results show that the exponent α strongly depends on how the inverse particle cascade is attenuated at ks lower than the forcing wave-number. If the inverse cascade is arrested by a friction at low ks, we observe an exponent which is in good agreement with the weak wave turbulence prediction k⁻¹. For a hypo-viscosity, a k⁻² spectrum is observed which we explain using a critical balance argument. In simulations without any low k dissipation, a condensate at k=0 is growing and the system goes through a strongly turbulent transition from a 4-wave to a 3-wave weak turbulence acoustic regime with evidence of k^−3/2 Zakharov-Sagdeev spectrum. In this regime, we also observe a spectrum for the incompressible kinetic energy which formally resembles the Kolmogorov k^−5/3, but whose correct explanation should be in terms of the Kelvin wave turbulence. The probability density functions for the velocities and the densities are also discussed.     

Large transverse momenta in the multiperipheral model

A unified picture of small and large transverse momenta is provided by the multiperipheral model in its original version. The large k_T spectrum is k_T^?p times a scaling function. Results are in agreement with ISR data and testable predictions are made.     

Imprint of large-scale flows on turbulence

We investigate the locality of interactions in hydrodynamic turbulence using data from a direct numerical simulation on a grid of 1024(3) points; the flow is forced with the Taylor-Green vortex. An inertial range for the energy is obtained in which the flux is constant and the spectrum follows an approximate Kolmogorov law. Nonlinear triadic interactions are dominated by their nonlocal components, involving widely separated scales. The resulting nonlinear transfer itself is local at each scale but the step in the energy cascade is independent of that scale and directly related to the integral scale of the flow. Interactions with large scales represent 20% of the total energy flux. Possible explanations for the deviation from self-similar models, the link between these findings and intermittency, and their consequences for modeling of turbulent flows are briefly discussed.     

A scaling law of high-order harmonic generation

Using a nonperturbative quantum electrodynamics theory of high-order harmonic generation (HHG), a scaling law of HHG is established. The scaling law states that when the atomic binding energy E_b, the wavelength λ and the intensity I of the laser field change simultaneously to kE_b, λ/k, and k³I, respectively. The characteristics of the HHG spectrum remain unchanged, while the harmonic yield is enhanced k³ times. That HHG obeys the same scaling law with above-threshold ionization is a solid proof of the fact that the two physical processes have similar physical mechanisms. The variation of integrated harmonic yields is also discussed.