Exploratory measurements in spiral turbulence

Interstellar Turbulence Driving by Galactic Spiral Shocks

Spiral shocks are potentially a major source of turbulence in the interstellar medium. To address this problem quantitatively, we use numerical simulations to investigate gas flow across spiral arms in vertically stratified, self-gravitating, magnetized models of galactic disks. Our models are isothermal, quasi-axisymmetric, and local in the quasi-radial direction while global in the vertical d...

Turbulence Measurements 
 in the Ocean

Direct numerical simulation of spiral turbulence

In this paper, we present results of three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of the spiral turbulence phenomenon in a range of moderate Reynolds numbers, in which alternating intertwined helical bands of turbulent and laminar fluids coexist and propagate between two counter-rotating concentric cylinders. We show that the turbulent spiral is comprised of numerous small-scale azimuthally e...

Evidence for internal structures of spiral turbulence.

We present several observations into spiral turbulence in a Taylor-Couette geometry gained through a three-dimensional direct numerical simulation. Conditionally averaged flow statistics show the persistence of an azimuthal gradient of the mean flow across both the turbulent and laminar spirals, and distinct distribution features of the turbulent intensity. The data provide a physical picture q...

Mobile car turbulence measurements