Defining a New Class of Turbulent Flows

Abstract

We apply a method based on the theory of Markov processes to fractal-generated turbulence and obtain joint probabilities of velocity increments at several scales. From experimental data we extract a Fokker-Planck equation which describes the interscale dynamics of the turbulence. In stark contrast to all documented boundary-free turbulent flows, the multiscale statistics of velocity increments, the coefficients of the Fokker-Planck equation, and dissipation-range intermittency are all independent of Rλ (the characteristic ratio of inertial to viscous forces in the fluid). These properties define a qualitatively new class of turbulence.