Analytical and Computational Challenges of Incompressible Flows at High Reynolds Number

CSIC Building (#406), Seminar Room 4122.
Directions: home.cscamm.umd.edu/directions

Effects of Rotation on Three Dimensional Turbulence -- An Experimental Perspective

                             Dan Lathrop

                                                   Department of Physics, University of Maryland

Abstract:  The conceptual, analytical and numerical challenges for three dimensional flows are well known. They involve, at least, dealing with singularities in the gradients, boundary layers, and the overwhelming number of populated modes. If ones explores the rotating case (as we have done experimentally) things appear strikingly different. Inertial waves modes, in a nonlinear context, appear to dominate the energy scales. Sharp gradients also appear -- but not in locations traditionally worried about. This talk will give some perspective from direct observations in flows in water, liquid helium and liquid sodium in parameter ranges not accessible by other research techniques.
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