Non-local gravity wave turbulence in presence of condensate

Abstract

The $k^{-23/6}$ wave action spectrum with an inverse cascade is one of the fundamental Kolmogorov–Zakharov solutions for gravity wave turbulence, which is part of the citation for the Dirac Medal in 2003. Instead of confirming this solution, however, several existing simulations and experiments suggest a spectrum of $k^{-3}$ in set-ups corresponding to the inverse cascade. We provide a theoretical explanation for the latter, considering the condensate that naturally forms in finite domains of experiments/simulations. Our new theory hinges on: (1) derivation of a spectral diffusion equation when non-local interactions with the condensate become dominant, for the first time systematically formulated for quartet-interaction systems; and (2) careful analysis of the asymptotics of interaction coefficient with a remarkable cancellation of all leading-order terms.