735 research outputs found
Intermittency in the large N-limit of a spherical shell model for turbulence
A spherical shell model for turbulence, obtained by coupling replicas of
the Gledzer, Okhitani and Yamada shell model, is considered. Conservation of
energy and of an helicity-like invariant is imposed in the inviscid limit. In
the limit this model is analytically soluble and is remarkably
similar to the random coupling model version of shell dynamics. We have studied
numerically the convergence of the scaling exponents toward the value predicted
by Kolmogorov theory (K41). We have found that the rate of convergence to the
K41 solution is linear in 1/N. The restoring of Kolmogorov law has been related
to the behaviour of the probability distribution functions of the instantaneous
scaling exponent.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, 3 Postscript figures, to be published on Europhys.
Let
Magnetic Fields and Passive Scalars in Polyakov's Conformal Turbulence
Polyakov has suggested that two dimensional turbulence might be described by
a minimal model of conformal field theory. However, there are many minimal
models satisfying the same physical inputs as Polyakov's solution (p,q)=(2,21).
Dynamical magnetic fields and passive scalars pose different physical
requirements. For large magnetic Reynolds number other minimal models arise.
The simplest one, (p,q)=(2,13) makes reasonable predictions that may be tested
in the astrophysical context. In particular, the equipartition theorem between
magnetic and kinetic energies does not hold: the magnetic one dominates at
larger distances.Comment: 12 pages, UR-1296, ER-745-4068
Helicity cascades in rotating turbulence
The effect of helicity (velocity-vorticity correlations) is studied in direct
numerical simulations of rotating turbulence down to Rossby numbers of 0.02.
The results suggest that the presence of net helicity plays an important role
in the dynamics of the flow. In particular, at small Rossby number, the energy
cascades to large scales, as expected, but helicity then can dominate the
cascade to small scales. A phenomenological interpretation in terms of a direct
cascade of helicity slowed down by wave-eddy interactions leads to the
prediction of new inertial indices for the small-scale energy and helicity
spectra.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Non-local interactions in hydrodynamic turbulence at high Reynolds numbers: the slow emergence of scaling laws
We analyze the data stemming from a forced incompressible hydrodynamic
simulation on a grid of 2048^3 regularly spaced points, with a Taylor Reynolds
number of Re~1300. The forcing is given by the Taylor-Green flow, which shares
similarities with the flow in several laboratory experiments, and the
computation is run for ten turnover times in the turbulent steady state. At
this Reynolds number the anisotropic large scale flow pattern, the inertial
range, the bottleneck, and the dissipative range are clearly visible, thus
providing a good test case for the study of turbulence as it appears in nature.
Triadic interactions, the locality of energy fluxes, and structure functions of
the velocity increments are computed. A comparison with runs at lower Reynolds
numbers is performed, and shows the emergence of scaling laws for the relative
amplitude of local and non-local interactions in spectral space. The scalings
of the Kolmogorov constant, and of skewness and flatness of velocity
increments, performed as well and are consistent with previous experimental
results. Furthermore, the accumulation of energy in the small-scales associated
with the bottleneck seems to occur on a span of wavenumbers that is independent
of the Reynolds number, possibly ruling out an inertial range explanation for
it. Finally, intermittency exponents seem to depart from standard models at
high Re, leaving the interpretation of intermittency an open problem.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Coriolis force in Geophysics: an elementary introduction and examples
We show how Geophysics may illustrate and thus improve classical Mechanics
lectures concerning the study of Coriolis force effects. We are then interested
in atmospheric as well as oceanic phenomena we are familiar with, and are for
that reason of pedagogical and practical interest. Our aim is to model them in
a very simple way to bring out the physical phenomena that are involved.Comment: Accepted for publication in European Journal of Physic
A Sucrose Solution Application to the Study of Model Biological Membranes
The small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering, time resolved X-ray small-angle
and wide-angle diffraction coupled with differential scanning calorimetry have
been applied to the investigation of unilamellar and multilamellar
dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) vesicles in sucrose buffers with sucrose
concentrations from 0 to 60%. Sucrose buffer decreased vesicle size and
polydispersity and increased an X-ray contrast between phospholipid membrane
and bulk solvent sufficiently. No influence of sucrose on the membrane
thickness or mutual packing of hydrocarbon chains has been detected. The region
of sucrose concentrations 30%-40% created the best experimental conditions for
X-ray small-angle experiments with phospholipid vesicles.Comment: PDF: 10 pages, 6 figures. MS Word sours
Large scale flow effects, energy transfer, and self-similarity on turbulence
The effect of large scales on the statistics and dynamics of turbulent
fluctuations is studied using data from high resolution direct numerical
simulations. Three different kinds of forcing, and spatial resolutions ranging
from 256^3 to 1024^3, are being used. The study is carried out by investigating
the nonlinear triadic interactions in Fourier space, transfer functions,
structure functions, and probability density functions. Our results show that
the large scale flow plays an important role in the development and the
statistical properties of the small scale turbulence. The role of helicity is
also investigated. We discuss the link between these findings and
intermittency, deviations from universality, and possible origins of the
bottleneck effect. Finally, we briefly describe the consequences of our results
for the subgrid modeling of turbulent flows
The Evolution of Cosmic Magnetic Fields: From the Very Early Universe, to Recombination, to the Present
(abridged) A detailed examination of the evolution of stochastic magnetic
fields between high cosmic temperatures and the present epoch is presented. A
simple analytical model matching the results of the 3D MHD simulations allows
for the prediction of present day magnetic field correlation lengths and
energy. Our conclusions are multi fold. (a) Initial primordial fields with only
a small amount of helicity are evolving into maximally helical fields. (b)
There exists a correlation between the strength of the magnetic field, B, at
the peak of it's spectrum and the location of the peak, given at the present
epoch by: B ~ 5x10^{-12} (L/kpc) Gauss, where L is the correlation length
determined by the initial magnetic field. (c) Concerning studies of generation
of cosmic microwave background (CMBR) anisotropies due to primordial magnetic
fields of B~10^{-9} Gauss on ~ 10 Mpc scales, such fields are not only
impossible to generate in early causal magnetogenesis scenarios but also
seemingly ruled out by distortions of the CMBR spectrum due to magnetic field
dissipation on smaller scales and the overproduction of cluster magnetic
fields. (d) The most promising detection possibility of CMBR distortions due to
primordial magnetic fields may be on much smaller scales at higher multipoles
l~10^6 where the signal is predicted to be the strongest. (e) It seems possible
that magnetic fields in clusters of galaxies are entirely of primordial origin,
without invoking dynamo amplification. Such fields would be of (pre-collapse)
strength 10^{-12} - 10^{-11} Gauss with correlation lengths in the kpc range,
and would also exist in voids of galaxies.Comment: 35 pages, 22 figures, revtex style, submitted to PR
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