dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaIs the Kelvin Theorem Valid for High-Reynolds-Number Turbulence?
| Authors | Shiyi Chen, Gregory L. Eyink, Minping Wan, Zuoli Xiao |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0605016 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0605016 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.144505 |
Abstract
The Kelvin-Helmholtz theorem on conservation of circulations is supposed to hold for ideal inviscid fluids and is believed to be play a crucial role in turbulent phenomena, such as production of dissipation by vortex line-stretching. However, this expectation does not take into account singularities in turbulent velocity fields at infinite Reynolds number. We present evidence from numerical simulations for the breakdown of the classical Kelvin theorem in the three-dimensional turbulent energy cascade. Although violated in individual realizations, we find that circulations are still conserved in some average sense. For comparison, we show that Kelvin's theorem holds for individual realizations in the two-dimensional enstrophy cascade, in agreement with theory. The turbulent ``cascade of circulations'' is shown to be a classical analogue of phase-slip due to quantized vortices in superfluids and various applications in geophysics and astrophysics are outlined.
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"abstract": "The Kelvin-Helmholtz theorem on conservation of circulations is supposed to\nhold for ideal inviscid fluids and is believed to be play a crucial role in\nturbulent phenomena, such as production of dissipation by vortex\nline-stretching. However, this expectation does not take into account\nsingularities in turbulent velocity fields at infinite Reynolds number. We\npresent evidence from numerical simulations for the breakdown of the classical\nKelvin theorem in the three-dimensional turbulent energy cascade. Although\nviolated in individual realizations, we find that circulations are still\nconserved in some average sense. For comparison, we show that Kelvin\u0027s theorem\nholds for individual realizations in the two-dimensional enstrophy cascade, in\nagreement with theory. The turbulent ``cascade of circulations\u0027\u0027 is shown to be\na classical analogue of phase-slip due to quantized vortices in superfluids and\nvarious applications in geophysics and astrophysics are outlined.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0605016",
"authors": [
"Shiyi Chen",
"Gregory L. Eyink",
"Minping Wan",
"Zuoli Xiao"
],
"categories": [
"physics.flu-dyn",
"physics.plasm-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.144505",
"title": "Is the Kelvin Theorem Valid for High-Reynolds-Number Turbulence?",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0605016"
},
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