Mixing in stratified gravity currents: Prandtl mixing length

Shear-induced vertical mixing in a stratified flow is a key ingredient of thermohaline circulation. We experimentally determine the vertical flux of momentum and density of a forced gravity current using high-resolution velocity and density measurements. A constant eddy viscosity model provides a poor description of the physics of mixing, but a Prandtl mixing length model relating momentum and density fluxes to mean velocity and density gradients works well. For $\approx 0.08$ and $Re_\lambda \approx 100$, the mixing lengths are fairly constant, about the same magnitude, comparable to the turbulent shear length.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted in PRL, February 200

Emploi du Fonds Augusta

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Effect of Sr substitution on superconductivity in Hg2(Ba1-ySry)2YCu2O8-d (part2): bond valence sum approach of the hole distribution

The effects of Sr substitution on superconductivity, and more particulary the changes induced in the hole doping mechanism, were investigated in Hg2(Ba1-ySry)2YCu2O8-d by a "bond valence sum" analysis with Sr content from y = 0.0 to y = 1.0. A comparison with CuBa2YCu2O7-d and Cu2Ba2YCu2O8 systems suggests a possible explanation of the Tc enhancement from 0 K for y = 0.0 to 42 K for y = 1.0. The charge distribution among atoms of the unit cell was determined from the refined structure, for y = 0.0 to 1.0. It shows a charge transfer to the superconducting CuO2 plane via two doping channels pi(1) and pi(2), i.e. through O2(apical)-Cu and Ba/Sr-O1 bonds respectively.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

First time determination of the microscopic structure of a stripe phase: Low temperature NMR in La2NiO4.17

The experimental observations of stripes in superconducting cuprates and insulating nickelates clearly show the modulation in charge and spin density. However, these have proven to be rather insensitive to the harmonic structure and (site or bond) ordering. Using 139La NMR in La2NiO4.17, we show that in the 1/3 hole doped nickelate below the freezing temperature the stripes are strongly solitonic and site ordered with Ni3+ ions carrying S=1/2 in the domain walls and Ni2+ ions with S=1 in the domains.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figure

Similarity of slow stripe fluctations between Sr-doped cuprates and oxygen-doped nickelates

Stripe fluctuations in La2NiO4.17 have been studied by 139La NMR using the field and temperature dependence of the linewidth and relaxation rates. In the formation process of the stripes the NMR line intensity is maximal below 230K, starts to diminish around 140K, disappears around 50K and recovers at 4K. These results are shown to be consistent with, but completely complementary to neutron measurements, and to be generic for oxygen doped nickelates and underdoped cuprates.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figure

On the magnetic fields generated by experimental dynamos

We review the results obtained by three successful fluid dynamo experiments and discuss what has been learnt from them about the effect of turbulence on the dynamo threshold and saturation. We then discuss several questions that are still open and propose experiments that could be performed to answer some of them.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figure