title: Molecular-Level Simulations of Turbulence and Its Decay.
abstract: We provide the first demonstration that molecular-level methods based on gas kinetic theory and molecular chaos can simulate turbulence and its decay. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, a molecular-level technique for simulating gas flows that resolves phenomena from molecular to hydrodynamic (continuum) length scales, is applied to simulate the Taylor-Green vortex flow. The DSMC simulations reproduce the Kolmogorov -5/3 law and agree well with the turbulent kinetic energy and energy dissipation rate obtained from direct numerical simulation of the Navier-Stokes equations using a spectral method. This agreement provides strong evidence that molecular-level methods for gases can be used to investigate turbulent flows quantitatively.
authors.affiliation: Engineering Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0840, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gallis
authors.affiliation: Engineering Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0840, USA.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Bitter
authors.affiliation: Engineering Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0840, USA.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.affiliation: Engineering Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0840, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Torczynski
authors.affiliation: Computing Research Center, Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1316, USA.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Plimpton
authors.affiliation: Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papadakis