Inverse cascade in Charney-Hasegawa-Mima turbulence

The inverse energy cascade in Charney-Hasegawa-Mima turbulence is investigated. Kolmogorov law for the third order velocity structure function is shown to be independent on the Rossby number, at variance with the energy spectrum, as shown by high resolution direct numerical simulations. In the asymptotic limit of strong rotation, coherent vortices are observed to form at a dynamical scale which slowly grows with time. These vortices form an almost quenched pattern and induce strong deviation form Gaussianity in the velocity field.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Large-scale confinement and small-scale clustering of floating particles in stratified turbulence

We study the motion of small inertial particles in stratified turbulence. We derive a simplified model, valid within the Boussinesq approximation, for the dynamics of small particles in presence of a mean linear density profile. By means of extensive direct numerical simulations, we investigate the statistical distribution of particles as a function of the two dimensionless parameters of the problem. We find that vertical confinement of particles is mainly ruled by the degree of stratification, with a weak dependency on the particle properties. Conversely, small scale fractal clustering, typical of inertial particles in turbulence, depends on the particle relaxation time and is almost independent on the flow stratification. The implications of our findings for the formation of thin phytoplankton layers are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Nonlinear diffusion model for Rayleigh-Taylor mixing

The complex evolution of turbulent mixing in Rayleigh-Taylor convection is studied in terms of eddy diffusiviy models for the mean temperature profile. It is found that a non-linear model, derived within the general framework of Prandtl mixing theory, reproduces accurately the evolution of turbulent profiles obtained from numerical simulations. Our model allows to give very precise predictions for the turbulent heat flux and for the Nusselt number in the ultimate state regime of thermal convection.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure, PRL in pres

Solutions of a Burgers–Stefan problem

Abstract A method to solve a one-phase Stefan problem associated to the Burgers equation is outlined. It is shown that the problem admits an exact solution which is a shock wave. The shock wave travels with the appropriate free boundary velocity and is found to be stable

on a coupled system of shallow water equations admitting travelling wave solutions

We consider three inviscid, incompressible, irrotational fluids that are contained between the rigid wallsy=−h1andy=h+Hand that are separated by two free interfacesη1andη2. A generalized nonlocal spectral (NSP) formulation is developed, from which asymptotic reductions of stratified fluids are obtained, including coupled nonlinear generalized Boussinesq equations and(1+1)-dimensional shallow water equations. A numerical investigation of the(1+1)-dimensional case shows the existence of solitary wave solutions which have been investigated for different values of the characteristic parameters

On a "Quasi" Integrable Discrete Eckhaus Equation

Abstract In this paper, a discrete version of the Eckhaus equation is introduced. The discretization is obtained by considering a discrete analog of the transformation taking the continuous Eckhaus equation to the continuous linear, free Schrodinger equation. The resulting discrete Eckhaus equation is a nonlinear system of two coupled second-order difference evolution equations. This nonlinear (1+1)-dimensional system is reduced to solving a first-order, ordinary, nonlinear, difference equation. In the real domain, this nonlinear difference equation is effective in reducing the complexity of the discrete Eckhaus equation. But, in the complex domain it is found that the nonlinear difference equation has a nontrivial Julia set and can actually produce chaotic dynamics. Hence, this discrete Eckhaus equation is considered to be "quasi" integrable. The chaotic behavior is numerically demonstrated in the complex plane and it is shown that the discrete Eckhaus equation retains many of the qualitative features of..

Lagrangian Statistics and Temporal Intermittency in a Shell Model of Turbulence

We study the statistics of single particle Lagrangian velocity in a shell model of turbulence. We show that the small scale velocity fluctuations are intermittent, with scaling exponents connected to the Eulerian structure function scaling exponents. The observed reduced scaling range is interpreted as a manifestation of the intermediate dissipative range, as it disappears in a Gaussian model of turbulence.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure