skip to main content


Title: Kolmogorov’s dissipation number and determining wavenumber for dyadic models
Abstract

We study some dyadic models for incompressible magnetohydrodynamics and Navier–Stokes equation. The existence of fixed point and stability of the fixed point are established. The scaling law of Kolmogorov’s dissipation wavenumber arises from heuristic analysis. In addition, a time-dependent determining wavenumber is shown to exist; moreover, the time average of the determining wavenumber is proved to be bounded above by Kolmogorov’s dissipation wavenumber. Additionally, based on the knowledge of the fixed point and stability of the fixed point, numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the energy spectrum in the inertial range below Kolmogorov’s dissipation wavenumber.

 
more » « less
NSF-PAR ID:
10486393
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
IOP Publishing
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Nonlinearity
Volume:
37
Issue:
2
ISSN:
0951-7715
Format(s):
Medium: X Size: Article No. 025015
Size(s):
["Article No. 025015"]
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract Kolmogorov's theory of turbulence predicts that only wavenumbers below some critical value, called Kolmogorov's dissipation number, are essential to describe the evolution of a three-dimensional (3D) fluid flow. A determining wavenumber, first introduced by Foias and Prodi for the 2D Navier–Stokes equations, is a mathematical analogue of Kolmogorov's number. The purpose of this paper is to prove the existence of a time-dependent determining wavenumber for the 3D Navier–Stokes equations whose time average is bounded by Kolmogorov's dissipation wavenumber for all solutions on the global attractor whose intermittency is not extreme. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    Weakly nonlinear, bi‐periodic patterns of waves that propagate in the‐direction with amplitude variation in the‐direction are generated in a laboratory. The amplitude variation in the‐direction is studied within the framework of the vector (vNLSE) and scalar (sNLSE) nonlinear Schrödinger equations using the uniform‐amplitude, Stokes‐like solution of the vNLSE and the Jacobi elliptic sine function solution of the sNLSE. The wavetrains are generated using the Stokes‐like solution of vNLSE; however, a comparison of both predictions shows that while they both do a reasonably good job of predicting the observed amplitude variation in, the comparison with the elliptic function solution of the sNLSE has significantly less error when the ratio of‐wavenumber to the two‐dimensional wavenumber is less than about 0.25. For ratios between about 0.25 and 0.30 (the limit of the experiments), the two models have comparable errors. When the ratio is less than about 0.17, agreement with the vNLSE solution requires a third‐harmonic term in the‐direction, obtained from a Stokes‐type expansion of interacting, symmetric wavetrains. There is no evidence of instability growth in the‐direction, consistent with the work of Segur and colleagues, who showed that dissipation stabilizes the modulational instability. Finally, there is some extra amplitude variation in, which is examined via a qualitative stability calculation that allows symmetry breaking in that direction.

     
    more » « less
  3. Abstract Upper-ocean turbulence is central to the exchanges of heat, momentum, and gasses across the air/sea interface, and therefore plays a large role in weather and climate. Current understanding of upper-ocean mixing is lacking, often leading models to misrepresent mixed-layer depths and sea surface temperature. In part, progress has been limited due to the difficulty of measuring turbulence from fixed moorings which can simultaneously measure surface fluxes and upper-ocean stratification over long time periods. Here we introduce a direct wavenumber method for measuring Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) dissipation rates, ϵ , from long-enduring moorings using pulse-coherent ADCPs. We discuss optimal programming of the ADCPs, a robust mechanical design for use on a mooring to maximize data return, and data processing techniques including phase-ambiguity unwrapping, spectral analysis, and a correction for instrument response. The method was used in the Salinity Processes Upper-ocean Regional Study (SPURS) to collect two year-long data sets. We find the mooring-derived TKE dissipation rates compare favorably to estimates made nearby from a microstructure shear probe mounted to a glider during its two separate two-week missions for (10 −8 ) ≤ ϵ ≤ (10 −5 ) m 2 s −3 . Periods of disagreement between turbulence estimates from the two platforms coincide with differences in vertical temperature profiles, which may indicate that barrier layers can substantially modulate upper-ocean turbulence over horizontal scales of 1-10 km. We also find that dissipation estimates from two different moorings at 12.5 m, and at 7 m are in agreement with the surface buoyancy flux during periods of strong nighttime convection, consistent with classic boundary layer theory. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    “Ultra‐fast” Kelvin waves (UFKWs) serve as a mechanism for coupling the tropical troposphere with the mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere. Herein, solutions to the linearized wave equations in a dissipative thermosphere in the form of “Hough Mode Extensions (HMEs)” are employed to better understand the vertical propagation of the subset of these waves that most effectively penetrate into the thermosphere above about 100 km altitude; namely, UFKWs with periods ≲4 days, vertical wavelengths (λz) ≳30 km, and zonal wavenumbers = −1. Molecular dissipation is found to broaden latitude structures of UFKWs with increasing height while their vertical wavelengths (λz) increase with latitude. Collisions with ions fixed to Earth's magnetic field (“ion drag”) are found to dampen UFKW amplitudes, increasingly so as the densities of those ions increase with increased solar flux. The direct effect of ion drag is to decelerate the zonal wind. This leads to suppression of vertical velocity and the velocity divergence, and related terms in the continuity and thermal energy equations, respectively, that lead to diminished perturbation temperature and density responses. Access is provided to the UFKW HMEs analyzed here in tabular and graphical form, and potential uses for future scientific studies are noted.

     
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    Empirical diagnosis of stability has received considerable attention, often focused on variance metrics for early warning signals of abrupt system change or delicate techniques measuring Lyapunov spectra. The theoretical foundation for the popular early warning signal approach has been limited to relatively simple system changes such as bifurcating fixed points where variability is extrinsic to the steady state. We offer a novel measurement of stability that applies in wide ranging systems that contain variability in both internal steady state dynamics and in response to external perturbations. Utilizing connections between stability, dissipation, and phase space flow, we show that stability correlates with temporal asymmetry in a measure of phase space flow contraction. Our method is general as it reveals stability variation independent of assumptions about the nature of system variability or attractor shape. After showing efficacy in a variety of model systems, we apply our technique for measuring stability to monthly returns of the S&P 500 index in the time periods surrounding the global stock market crash of October 1987. Market stability is shown to be higher in the several years preceding and subsequent to the 1987 market crash. We anticipate our technique will have wide applicability in climate, ecological, financial, and social systems where stability is a pressing concern.

     
    more » « less