Critical geometry of two-dimensional passive scalar turbulence.
Passive scalars advected by a magnetically driven two-dimensional turbulent flow are analyzed using methods of statistical topography. The passive tracer concentration is interpreted as the height of a random surface, and the scaling properties of its contour loops are analyzed. Various exponents that describe the loop ensemble are measured and compared to a scaling theory. This leads to a geometrical criterion for the intermittency of scalar fluctuations.
Kondev
J
J
Physics Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA.
Huber
G
G