Simulation of induction at low magnetic Prandtl number

We consider the induction of a magnetic field in flows of an electrically conducting fluid at low magnetic Prandtl number and large kinetic Reynolds number. Using the separation between the magnetic and kinetic diffusive length scales, we propose a new numerical approach. The coupled magnetic and fluid equations are solved using a mixed scheme, where the magnetic field fluctuations are fully resolved and the velocity fluctuations at small scale are modeled using a large eddy simulation (LES) scheme. We study the response of a forced Taylor-Green flow to an externally applied field: topology of the mean induction and time fluctuations at fixed locations. The results are in remarkable agreement with existing experimental data; a global 1/f behavior at long times is also evidenced.     

Bound on vertical heat transport at large Prandtl number

We prove a new upper bound on the vertical heat transport in Rayleigh-Bénard convection of the form under the assumption that the ratio of Prandtl number over Rayleigh number satisfies where the non-dimensional constant c₀ depends on the aspect ratio of the domain only. This new rigorous bound agrees with the (optimal) bound (modulo logarithmic correction) on vertical heat transport for the infinite Prandtl number model for convection due to Constantin and Doering [P. Constantin, C.R. Doering, Infinite Prandtl number convection, J. Stat. Phys. 94 (1) (1999) 159-172] and Doering, Otto and Reznikoff [C.R. Doering, F. Otto, M.G. Reznikoff, Bounds on vertical heat transport for infinite Prandtl number Rayleigh-Bénard convection, J. Fluid Mech. 560 (2006) 229-241]. It also improves a uniform (in Prandtl number) bound for the Nusselt number [P. Constantin, C.R. Doering, Heat transfer in convective turbulence, Nonlinearity 9 (1996) 1049-1060] in the case of large Prandtl number.     

Magnetic dynamo action at low magnetic Prandtl numbers

Amplification of magnetic field due to kinematic turbulent dynamo action is studied in the regime of small magnetic Prandtl numbers. Such a regime is relevant for planets and stars interiors, as well as for liquid-metal laboratory experiments. A comprehensive analysis based on the Kazantsev-Kraichnan model is reported, which establishes the dynamo threshold and the dynamo growth rates for varying kinetic helicity of turbulent fluctuations. It is proposed that in contrast with the case of large magnetic Prandtl numbers, the kinematic dynamo action at small magnetic Prandtl numbers is significantly affected by kinetic helicity, and it can be made quite efficient with an appropriate choice of the helicity spectrum.     

Numerical study of dynamo action at low magnetic Prandtl numbers

We present a three-pronged numerical approach to the dynamo problem at low magnetic Prandtl numbers P(M). The difficulty of resolving a large range of scales is circumvented by combining direct numerical simulations, a Lagrangian-averaged model and large-eddy simulations. The flow is generated by the Taylor-Green forcing; it combines a well defined structure at large scales and turbulent fluctuations at small scales. Our main findings are (i) dynamos are observed from P(M)=1 down to P(M)=10(-2), (ii) the critical magnetic Reynolds number increases sharply with P(M)(-1) as turbulence sets in and then it saturates, and (iii) in the linear growth phase, unstable magnetic modes move to smaller scales as P(M) is decreased. Then the dynamo grows at large scales and modifies the turbulent velocity fluctuations.     

Numerical demonstration of fluctuation dynamo at low magnetic Prandtl numbers

Direct numerical simulations of incompressible nonhelical randomly forced MHD turbulence are used to demonstrate for the first time that the fluctuation dynamo exists in the limit of large magnetic Reynolds number Rm>1 and small magnetic Prandtl number Pm<1. The dependence of the critical Rmc for dynamo on the hydrodynamic Reynolds number Re is obtained for 1 less than or similar Re less than or similar 6700. In the limit Pm<1, Rmc is about 3 times larger than for the previously well-established dynamo at large and moderate Prandtl numbers: Rmc less than or similar 200 for Re greater than or similar 6000 compared to Rmc approximately 60 for Pm>or=1. It is not yet possible to determine numerically whether the growth rate of the magnetic energy is proportional, Rm1/2 in the limit Rm-->infinity, as it should be if the dynamo is driven by the inertial-range motions at the resistive scale.     

Femtosecond filamentation in air at low pressures. Part II: Laboratory experiments

We present experimental studies of filamentation of a femtosecond laser pulse in air at low pressures. The evolution of the filament has been studied by measuring along the propagation axis the conductivity and the sub-THz emission from the plasma channel. We show experimentally that the filamentation process occurs at pressures as low as 0.2 atm in agreement with numerical simulations. Experimental and numerical results [A. Couairon, M. Franco, G. Méchain, T. Olivier, B. Prade, A. Mysyrowicz, Opt. Commun., submitted for publication] are compared and the possible sources of discrepancy are discussed.     

On causal dynamics without metrisation: Part II

An interpretation of an ordering relation as an operator is constructed by appeal to the notion of homotopy. A metric-free definition of a causal ordering is given, after carefully investigating, by means of the notion of ordered sets, what is crucial to the notion of causality. A metric-free condition is derived that a causal ordering operator must satisfy, and a concrete realisation is found to exist that embodies the paraphernalia of Minkowski space with Zeeman's fine topology. Moreover, it is seen that a coordinate space used to give a cartography to causally related events must have at least a hyperbolic metric.This work was undertaken and completed whilst the author was at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill, London, N.W.2.     

Heat transfer in a flow of gas mixture with low Prandtl number in triangular channels

We investigated heat transfer in a channel with a triangular cross-section. The working medium is a helium–xenon mixture with a low Prandtl number. This channel configuration corresponds to one of possible cases of fuel cells layout in a gas-cooled nuclear reactor. New experimental data on heat transfer in helium–xenon mixtures were obtained. Results of numerical modeling were compared with the experimental data and the known empirical correlations.     

A current density conservative scheme for incompressible MHD flows at a low magnetic Reynolds number. Part II: On an arbitrary collocated mesh

A conservative formulation of the Lorentz force is given here for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows at a low magnetic Reynolds number with the current density calculated based on Ohm’s law and the electrical potential formula. This conservative formula shows that the total momentum contributed from the Lorentz force is conservative when the applied magnetic field is constant. For the case with a non-constant applied magnetic field, the Lorentz force has been divided into two parts: a strong globally conservative part and a weak locally conservative part.The conservative formula has been employed to develop a conservative scheme for the calculation of the Lorentz force on an unstructured collocated mesh. Only the current density fluxes on the cell faces, which are calculated using a consistent scheme with good conservation, are needed for the calculation of the Lorentz force. Meanwhile, a conservative interpolation technique is designed to get the current density at the cell center from the current density fluxes on the cell faces. This conservative interpolation can keep the current density at the cell center conservative, which can be used to calculate the Lorentz force at the cell center with good accuracy. The Lorentz force calculated from the conservative current at the cell center is equivalent to the Lorentz force from the conservative formula when the applied magnetic field is constant, which can conserve the total momentum. We will further prove that the simple interpolation scheme used in the Part I [M.-J. Ni, R. Munipalli, N.B. Morley, P.Y. Huang, M. Abdou, A current density conservative scheme for MHD flows at a low magnetic Reynolds number. Part I. On a rectangular collocated grid system, Journal of Computational Physics, in press, doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2007.07.025] of this series of papers is conservative on a rectangular grid and can keep the total momentum conservative in a rectangular grid.     

Population dynamics at high Reynolds number

We study the statistical properties of population dynamics evolving in a realistic two-dimensional compressible turbulent velocity field. We show that the interplay between turbulent dynamics and population growth and saturation leads to quasilocalization and a remarkable reduction in the carrying capacity. The statistical properties of the population density are investigated and quantified via multifractal scaling analysis. We also investigate numerically the singular limit of negligibly small growth rates and delocalization of population ridges triggered by uniform advection.     

Convective heat transport in a fluid layer of infinite Prandtl number: upper bounds for the case of rigid lower boundary and stress-free upper boundary

We present the theory of the multi--solutions of the variational problem for the upper bounds on the convective heat transport in a heated from below horizontal fluid layer with rigid lower boundary and stress-free upper boundary. A sequence of upper bounds on the convective heat transport is obtained. The highest bound is between the bounds for the case of a fluid layer with two rigid boundaries and for the case of a fluid layer with two stress-free boundaries. As an additional result of the presented theory we obtain small corrections of the boundary layer thicknesses of the optimum fields for the case of fluid layer with two rigid boundaries. These corrections lead to systematically lower upper bounds on the convective heat transport in comparison to the bounds obtained in [5]. Received 29 September 1999     

Turbulent Prandtl number in the boundary layer on a plate: effect of the molecular Prandtl number,injection (suction), and longitudinal pressure gradient

Using the differential turbulence model supplemented by the transport equation for the turbulent heat flux, a numerical study is carried out of the dependence of the Prandtl turbulent number on the molecular Prandtl number, the intensity of the gas injection (suction) through the permeable wall, and the freestream acceleration (deceleration). The air and mixtures of helium with xenon and argon are considered as gas carriers, and mercury, water, and transformer oil are used as liquid carriers. The obtained results of calculations are consistent with the available experimental data for the turbulent Prandtl number and the quantities included in its definition.     

Minimal polar swimmer at low Reynolds number

We propose a minimal model for a polar swimmer, consisting of two spheres connected by a rigid slender arm, at low Reynolds number. The propulsive velocity for the proposed model is the maximum for any swimming cycle with the same variations in its two degrees of freedom and its displacement in a cycle is achieved entirely in one step. The stroke averaged flow field generated by the contractile swimmer at large distances is found to be dipolar. In addition, the changing radius of one of the spheres generates the field of a potential doublet centered at its initial position.     

A circle swimmer at low Reynolds number

Swimming in circles occurs in a variety of situations at low Reynolds number. Here we propose a simple model for a swimmer that undergoes circular motion, generalising the model of a linear swimmer proposed by Najafi and Golestanian (Phys. Rev. E 69, 062901 (2004)). Our model consists of three solid spheres arranged in a triangular configuration, joined by two links of time-dependent length. For small strokes, we discuss the motion of the swimmer as a function of the separation angle between its links. We find that swimmers describe either clockwise or anticlockwise circular motion depending on the tilting angle in a non-trivial manner. The symmetry of the swimmer leads to a quadrupolar decay of the far flow field. We discuss the potential extensions and experimental realisation of our model.     

On the pion-nucleus dynamics at low energies

Low-energy pion scattering (up to 50 MeV) on ¹²C and ¹⁶O is described quantitatively in the framework of the UST approach. It is shown that at T_π ∼ 50 MeV the differential cross sections arise as a result of a strong interference between the pure potential and absorption channels. The importance of nuclear structure effects in the pion-nucleus dynamics at low energies is discussed.     

Magnetic stabilization,transition and energy analysis in the Marangoni driven Full-Zone at low Prandtl numbers

The linear stability of the Marangoni-driven Full-Zone is investigated for low Prandtl number fluids. A constant and uniform magnetic field is applied along the axial axis of the liquid bridge to stabilize the axisymmetric base state. Dramatic contraction of the flow circulation in both radial and azimuthal directions is observed with moderate magnetic fields. The numerical solution utilizes a vorticity transport formulation and high resolution spectral collocation scheme with Chebyshev polynomial basis functions. Critical transitions to three-dimensional, stationary flows are observed up to Ha = 300 for Pr = 0.02 and Ha = 500 for Pr = 0.001. A hydrodynamically driven instability is suggested by the perturbation flows and confirmed through an energy analysis.