Grid turbulence experiments have been carried out in a stably stratified fluid at moderately large Reynolds numbers (160 based on the Taylor microscale). A scanning particle image velocimetry technique is used to provide time-resolved velocity fields in a relatively large volume. For late times, in the low-Froude-number regime, the flow consists of quasi-horizontal motion in a sea of weak internal gravity waves. Here the dynamics of the flow is found to be independent of the ambient stratification. Fundamental differences with two-dimensional turbulence, due to the strong vertical shearing of horizontal velocity, are observed. In this regime, a self-similar scaling law for the energy decay and the length-scale evolution is observed. This behaviour reflects a process of adjustment of the eddy aspect ratio based on a balance between the horizontal advective motion which tends to vertically decorrelate the flow and the dissipation due to strong vertical shear. The characteristic vertical size of the eddies grows according to a diffusion law and is found to be independent of the turbulence generation. The organization of the flow into horizontal layers of eddies separated by intense shear leads to a strong anisotropy of the dissipation: this has been checked by direct measurement of the different tensorial components of the viscous dissipation.
Collective motion of self-sustained swarming flows has recently provided examples of small-scale turbulence arising where viscous effects are dominant. We report the first observation of universal enstrophy cascade in concentrated swarming sperm consistent with a body of evidence built from various independent measurements. We found a well-defined k^{-3} power-law decay of a velocity field power spectrum and relative dispersion of small beads consistent with theoretical predictions in 2D turbulence. Concentrated living sperm displays long-range, correlated whirlpool structures of a size that provides an integral scale of turbulence. We propose a consistent explanation for this quasi-2D turbulence based on self-structured laminated flow forced by steric interactions and alignment, a state of active matter that we call "swarming liquid crystal." We develop scaling arguments consistent with this interpretation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.