Imaging of intermittency in ripple-wave turbulence
The dynamics of a fluid surface filled with high-amplitude ripples were studied with a technique (diffusing light photography) that resolves the height at all locations instantaneously. Even when nonlinearities are strong enough to generate a (Kolmogorov) cascade from long wavelength (where energy is input) to shorter wavelength, the resulting turbulent state contains large coherent spatial structures. The appearance of these structures in a thermal equilibrium state (with the same average energy) would be highly improbable.
Wright
WB
Physics Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Budakian
R
Pine
DJ
Putterman
SJ