Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics of turbulence

DOI10.1007/S10955-014-1086-8zbMATH Open1307.82016arXiv1405.5746OpenAlexW2042744348MaRDI QIDQ478432FDOQ478432

Authors: David Ruelle 

Publication date: 3 December 2014

Published in: Journal of Statistical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The macroscopic study of hydrodynamic turbulence is equivalent, at an abstract level, to the microscopic study of a heat flow for a suitable mechanical system. Turbulent fluctuations (intermittency) then correspond to thermal fluctuations, and this allows to estimate the exponents tau_p and zeta_p associated with moments of dissipation fluctuations and velocity fluctuations. This approach, initiated in an earlier note, is pursued here more carefully. In particular we derive probability distributions at finite Reynolds number for the dissipation and velocity fluctuations, and the latter permit an interpretation of numerical experiments. Specifically, if p(z)dz is the probability distribution of the radial velocity gradient we can explain why, when the Reynolds number increases, log p(z) passes from a concave to a linear then to a convex profile for large z as observed. We show that the central limit theorem applies to the dissipation and velocity distribution functions, so that a logical relation with the lognormal theory of Kolmogorov and Obukhov is established. We find however that the lognormal behavior of the distribution functions fails at large value of the argument, so that a lognormal theory cannot correctly predict the exponents tau_p and zeta_p.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1405.5746

Recommendations

• A theory of hydrodynamic turbulence based on non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
• Velocity probability density functions of high Reynolds number turbulence
• The Kolmogorov-Obukhov statistical theory of turbulence
• Turbulence as a problem in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
• Non-extensive statistical mechanics approach to fully developed hydrodynamic turbulence

zbMATH Keywords

turbulencenon-equilibriumstatistical methanics

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Irreversible thermodynamics, including Onsager-Machlup theory (82C35) Fundamentals of turbulence (76F02)

Cites Work

• A refinement of previous hypotheses concerning the local structure of turbulence in a viscous incompressible fluid at high Reynolds number
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Small-scale universality in fluid turbulence
• Pressure–velocity correlations and scaling exponents in turbulence
• Towards a stochastic multi-point description of turbulence

Cited In (17)

• Turbulence as a problem in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Statistics of phase turbulence
• Nondeterministic dynamics and turbulent transport
• Statistics of phase turbulence. II
• Potential landscape and flux field theory for turbulence and nonequilibrium fluid systems
• Turbulence: does energy cascade exist?
• Nonextensive statistical mechanics for rotating quasi-two-dimensional turbulence
• Non-classical velocity statistics in counterflow quantum turbulence
• Turbulence and Tsallis statistics
• Is there a statistical mechanics of turbulence?
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Projection techniques in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. III: A microscopic theory of turbulence
• Statistical mechanics far from equilibrium
• A theory of hydrodynamic turbulence based on non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
• Non-Gaussian statistical model of turbulence
• About David Ruelle, after his 80th birthday

This page was built for publication: Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics of turbulence

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q478432)