199 research outputs found
Helical rotating turbulence. Part II. Intermittency, scale invariance and structures
We study the intermittency properties of the energy and helicity cascades in
two 1536^3 direct numerical simulations of helical rotating turbulence.
Symmetric and anti-symmetric velocity increments are examined, as well as
probability density functions of the velocity field and of the helicity
density. It is found that the direct cascade of energy to small scales is scale
invariant and non-intermittent, whereas the direct cascade of helicity is
highly intermittent. Furthermore, the study of structure functions of different
orders allows us to identify a recovery of isotropy of strong events at very
small scales in the flow. Finally, we observe the juxtaposition in space of
strong laminar and persistent helical columns next to time-varying vortex
tangles, the former being associated with the self-similarity of energy and the
latter with the intermittency of helicity.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Un modèle stochastique pour l'écoulement de von Kármán
URL: http://www-spht.cea.fr/articles/S03/015 , Paris, France, 13-14 mars 2003National audienceUn système d'équations stochastiques nous sert à décrire l'évolution de la vitesse de rotation d'un disque ainsi que le couple appliqué dans l'écoulement de Von-Karman. Ce dernier est étudié de façon analytique pour deux modes de forçage: vitesse angulaire ou couple constant. Le principal résultat est que l'on retrouve la relation expérimentale de Titon et Cadot : dans la limite de l'inertie du disque nulle, la puissance injecté dans la turbulence fluctue deux fois moins lorsque l'on force à couple constant comparé au forçage à vitesse angulaire constante. Ensuite, les distributions de probabilité de la vitesse angulaire et du couple sont comparées à des données expérimentales
Walls Inhibit Chaotic Mixing
We report on experiments of chaotic mixing in a closed vessel, in which a
highly viscous fluid is stirred by a moving rod. We analyze quantitatively how
the concentration field of a low-diffusivity dye relaxes towards homogeneity,
and we observe a slow algebraic decay of the inhomogeneity, at odds with the
exponential decay predicted by most previous studies. Visual observations
reveal the dominant role of the vessel wall, which strongly influences the
concentration field in the entire domain and causes the anomalous scaling. A
simplified 1D model supports our experimental results. Quantitative analysis of
the concentration pattern leads to scalings for the distributions and the
variance of the concentration field consistent with experimental and numerical
results.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Influence of turbulence on the dynamo threshold
We use direct and stochastic numerical simulations of the magnetohydrodynamic
equations to explore the influence of turbulence on the dynamo threshold. In
the spirit of the Kraichnan-Kazantsev model, we model the turbulence by a
noise, with given amplitude, injection scale and correlation time. The addition
of a stochastic noise to the mean velocity significantly alters the dynamo
threshold. When the noise is at small (resp. large) scale, the dynamo threshold
is decreased (resp. increased). For a large scale noise, a finite correlation
time reinforces this effect
A turbulent model of torque in von Karman swirling flow
A stochastic model is derived to predict the turbulent torque produced by a
swirling flow. It is a simple Langevin process, with a colored noise. Using the
unified colored noise approximation, we derive analytically the PDF of the
fluctuations of injected power in two forcing regimes: constant angular
velocity or constant applied torque. In the limit of small velocity
fluctuations and vanishing inertia, we predict that the injected power
fluctuates twice less in the case of constant torque than in the case of
constant angular velocity forcing. The model is further tested against
experimental data in a von Karman device filled with water. It is shown to
allow for a parameter-free prediction of the PDF of power fluctuations in the
case where the forcing is made at constant torque. A physical interpretation of
our model is finally given, using a quasi-linear model of turbulence
Resolving Molecular Line Emission from Protoplanetary Disks: Observational Prospects for Disks Irradiated by Infalling Envelopes
Molecular line observations that could resolve protoplanetary disks of ~100
AU both spatially and kinematically would be a useful tool to unambiguously
identify these disks and to determine their kinematical and physical
characteristics. In this work we model the expected line emission from a
protoplanetary disk irradiated by an infalling envelope, addressing the
question of its detectability with subarcsecond resolution. We adopt a
previously determined disk model structure that gives a continuum spectral
energy distribution and a mm intensity spatial distribution that are consistent
with observational constraints of HL Tau. An analysis of the capability of
presently working and projected interferometers at mm and submm wavelengths
shows that molecular transitions of moderate opacity at these wavelengths
(e.g., C17O lines) are good candidates for detecting disk lines at subarcsecond
resolution in the near future. We suggest that, in general, disks of typical
Class I sources will be detectable.Comment: 41 pages, 16 figures. To be published in The Astrophysical Journa
Magnetic field reversals in an experimental turbulent dynamo
We report the first experimental observation of reversals of a dynamo field
generated in a laboratory experiment based on a turbulent flow of liquid
sodium. The magnetic field randomly switches between two symmetric solutions B
and -B. We observe a hierarchy of time scales similar to the Earth's magnetic
field: the duration of the steady phases is widely distributed, but is always
much longer than the time needed to switch polarity. In addition to reversals
we report excursions. Both coincide with minima of the mechanical power driving
the flow. Small changes in the flow driving parameters also reveal a large
variety of dynamo regimes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Particle Aggregation in a turbulent Keplerian flow
In the problem of planetary formation one seeks a mechanism to gather small
solid particles together into larger accumulations of solid matter. Here we
describe a scenario in which turbulence mediates this process by aggregating
particles into anticyclonic regions. If, as our simulations suggest,
anticyclonic vortices form as long-lived coherent structures, the process
becomes more powerful because such vortices trap particles effectively. Even if
the turbulence is decaying, following the upheaval that formed the disk, there
is enough time to make the dust distribution quite lumpy.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Particle Stirring in Turbulent Gas Disks: Including Orbital Oscillations
We describe the diffusion and random velocities of solid particles due to
stochastic forcing by turbulent gas. We include the orbital dynamics of
Keplerian disks, both in-plane epicycles and vertical oscillations. We obtain a
new result for the diffusion of solids. The Schmidt number (ratio of gas to
particle diffusivity) is Sc = 1 + (Omega t_stop)^2, in terms of the particle
stopping time, t_stop, and the orbital frequency, Omega. The standard result,
Sc = 1 + t_stop/t_eddy, in terms of the eddy turnover time, t_eddy, is shown to
be incorrect. The main difference is that Sc rises quadratically, not linearly,
with stopping time. Consequently, particles larger than ~ 10 cm in
protoplanetary disks will suffer less radial diffusion and will settle closer
to the midplane. Such a layer of boulders would be more prone to gravitational
collapse. Our predictions of RMS speeds, vertical scale height and diffusion
coefficients will help interpret numerical simulations. We confirm previous
results for the vertical stirring of particles (scale heights and random
velocities), and add a correction for arbitrary ratios of eddy to orbital
times. The particle layer becomes thinner for t_eddy > 1/Omega, with the
strength of turbulent diffusion held fixed. We use two analytic techniques --
the Hinze-Tchen formalism and the Fokker-Planck equation with velocity
diffusion -- with identical results when the regimes of validity overlap. We
include simple physical arguments for the scaling of our results.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, accepted to Icaru
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