Inverse energy cascade in a nearly two-dimensional turbulence

Journal Article · Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Physics of Fluids A; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.857738· OSTI ID:7166036

Nakauchi, N; Oshima, H; Saito, Y ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Toho University School of Medicine, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143, Japan (JP)

Spectral structures of homogeneous axisymmetric turbulence subjected to a uniform magnetic field {bold B}{sub 0} and a randomly stirred two-dimensional force fed in a narrow band of wavenumbers is studied, using the energy spectrum equation that is closed by the eddy-damped quasinormal Markovian (EDQNM) approximation. When the interaction parameter {ital N}={sigma}{ital B}{sup 2}{sub 0}{ital L}/({rho}{sub 0}{ital u}) is large (where {sigma} is the electric conductivity, {rho}{sub 0} the uniform fluid density, {ital L} the integral scale, and {ital u} the root mean square velocity), the existence of the inverse energy cascade toward large scales with a {ital k}{sup {minus}5/3} energy spectrum and the enstrophy cascade toward small scales with {ital k}{sup {minus}3} energy spectrum are observed in the evolution of the energy of velocity components transverse to {bold B}{sub 0}. The energy of the velocity components parallel to {bold B}{sub 0} shows a {ital k}{sup {minus}1} energy spectrum, which agrees with the {ital k}{sup {minus}1} variance spectrum predicted by Lesieur and Herring (J. Fluid Mech. {bold 161}, 77 (1985)) for a passive scalar convected by two-dimensional isotropic turbulence. This is of great interest because it is found that in the limit of two-dimensional turbulence the equation for the parallel velocity components is reduced to the same equation as that for a passive scalar convected by two-dimensional isotropic turbulence.

• OSTI ID: 7166036
• Journal Information: Physics of Fluids A; (USA), Vol. 2:3; ISSN 0899-8213
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
LIQUID METALS
TURBULENT FLOW
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MARKOV PROCESS
ENERGY SPECTRA
DAMPING
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ENERGY LOSSES
EQUATIONS OF MOTION
FOURIER TRANSFORMATION
ISOTROPY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MERCURY
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
RANDOMNESS
REYNOLDS NUMBER
STIRRING
SYMMETRY
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
VELOCITY
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
EQUATIONS
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUIDS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INTEGRAL TRANSFORMATIONS
LIQUIDS
LOSSES
MECHANICS
METALS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SPECTRA
STOCHASTIC PROCESSES
TRANSFORMATIONS
640430* - Fluid Physics- Magnetohydrodynamics