Ebook: Vorticity and Turbulence

This book provides an introduction to the theory of turbulence in fluids based on the representation of the flow by means of its vorticity field. It has long been understood that, at least in the case of incompressible flow, the vorticity representation is natural and physically transparent, yet the development of a theory of turbulence in this representation has been slow. The pioneering work of Onsager and of Joyce and Montgomery on the statistical mechanics of two-dimensional vortex systems has only recently been put on a firm mathematical footing, and the three-dimensional theory remains in parts speculative and even controversial. The first three chapters of the book contain a reasonably standard intro­ duction to homogeneous turbulence (the simplest case); a quick review of fluid mechanics is followed by a summary of the appropriate Fourier theory (more detailed than is customary in fluid mechanics) and by a summary of Kolmogorov's theory of the inertial range, slanted so as to dovetail with later vortex-based arguments. The possibility that the inertial spectrum is an equilibrium spectrum is raised.

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This book provides an introduction to turbulence in vortex systems, and to turbulence theory for incompressible flow described in terms of the vorticity field. It is the author's hope that by the end of the book the reader will believe that these subjects are identical, and constitute a special case of fairly standard statistical mechanics, with both equilibrium and non-equilibrium aspects. The author's main goal is to relate turbulence to statistical mechanics. The book is organized as follows: the first three chapters constitute a fairly standard introduction to homogeneous turbulence in incompressible flow; a quick review of fluid mechanics; a summary of the appropriate Fourier theory; a summary of Kolmogorov's theory of the inertial range. The next four chapters present the statistical theory of vortex notion, and the vortex dynamics of turbulence. The book ends with the major conclusion that turbulence can no longer be viewed as incomprehensible. This book wi! ll be appropriate for professionals in the fields of applied mathematics, mechanical engineering, or physics, as well as graduate students in these noted areas.