The nature of high Reynolds number turbulence
HRT
26 August 2008 to 19 December 2008
Programme theme
Turbulence is a notoriously difficult subject. Our attempts to understand it tend to consist of an uneasy mix of plausible but uncertain hypotheses, deterministic but highly simplified cartoons, and vast, complex data sets.
For the small scales in turbulence this mixture of hypothesis, theory and experiment is given some unity by the phenomenological picture established by Richardson, Taylor and Kolmogorov. This phenomenology paints a picture of cascades of energy and information from large-scale eddies down to small, and of universal features of these cascades, provided the Reynolds numbers is large enough. In some sense this vision has worked well, providing a convenient conceptual framework within which many empirical observations can be rationalised. However, it was clear from the outset that this was too simplistic a point of view and half a century later there remain many fundamental unanswered questions. For example, exactly what do we mean by an eddy or a cascade, and how should we interpret cascade-like arguments in terms of the evolving morphology of the vorticity field? Indeed, what is the spatial structure of the vorticity field and how does this relate to the observed energy spectra?
Our understanding of turbulent boundary-layers, and of turbulence in rotating-stratified fluids, is equally uncertain. For example, the log-law of the wall represents an early milestone in turbulence theory. It is based on the hypothesis that the near-wall eddies are immune from the remote eddies in the core flow. However, we have always known that the near-wall eddies cannot be independent of the larger far-field vortices, so why does the log-law work so well? There are many other controversies in shear flows. For example, it has been known for over thirty years that turbulence near a wall is dominated by streaks of low-speed fluid and by long, stream-wise vortices. It is now generally agreed that these streaks and vortices interact in some kind of quasi-periodic cycle, yet the nature of this cycle, and its possible relationship to the structures seen in transition studies, is still a matter of debate. The situation is little better in rotating-stratified turbulence, where there is a subtle interaction between waves and turbulence. While all agree that, in such flows, the large vortices acquire a distinctive shape, reminiscent of cigars or pancakes, few can agree on the mechanisms by which these structures form. Evidently, there is much to debate.
The goal of this programme is to bring together leading experts from across the world to debate these fundamental questions. The discussion will be wide ranging, from the initiation of turbulence through to its asymptotic state at high Reynolds number, including the effects of rotation and stratification, and the addition of different phases, such as bubbles, particles and polymers.
Click here to download the programme's final scientific report
Preprints
| Title | Year | Programme | |
|---|---|---|---|
The number of degrees of freedom of two-dimensional turbulenceAuthors: Chuong Tran, L Blackbourn |
2008 | HRT | 21 October 2016 |
Late time evolution of unforced inviscid two-dimensional turbulenceAuthors: Richard Scott, Charlie Macaskill, GA Gottwald, Chuong Tran, DG Dritschel |
2008 | HRT | 21 October 2016 |
Workshops
Wall bounded shear flows: transition and turbulence
8 September 2008 to 12 September 2008
Prospects of high performance computing in turbulence research
26 September 2008 to 26 September 2008
Inertial-range dynamics and mixing
29 September 2008 to 3 October 2008
Euler at Newton: the inviscid equations
31 October 2008 to 31 October 2008
Structures and waves in anisotropic turbulence
3 November 2008 to 7 November 2008
HRT Open for Business: turbulence in fluids
17 November 2008 to 17 November 2008
IUTAM - rotating stratified turbulence and turbulence in the atmosphere and oceans
8 December 2008 to 12 December 2008
Seminars
| Wednesday 3rd September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Sergei Chernyshenko Imperial College London |
Discussion Room | |
| Thursday 4th September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Joel Sommeria Collegio Carlo Alberto |
Discussion Room | |
| Monday 15th September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Robert Moser Japan Atomic Energy Agency & University of Texas at Austin |
Discussion Room | |
| Wednesday 17th September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Ivan Marusic University of Melbourne |
Discussion Room | |
| Thursday 18th September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Colm-cille Caulfield University of Cambridge |
Discussion Room | |
| Monday 22nd September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Brian Sawford Monash University |
Discussion Room | |
| Tuesday 23rd September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Vladimir Zeitlin Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD-ENS) |
Discussion Room | |
| Wednesday 24th September 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Toshiyuki Gotoh Nagoya Institute of Technology |
Room 2 | |
| Monday 6th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
David Dritschel University of St Andrews |
Discussion Room | |
| Tuesday 7th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:00 to 14:00 |
Shigeo Kida Kyoto University |
Discussion Room | |
| Wednesday 8th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:00 to 15:00 |
David Dritschel University of St Andrews |
Discussion Room | |
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Martin Oberlack Technische Universität Darmstadt |
Discussion Room | |
| Thursday 9th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Erik Lindborg KTH - Royal Institute of Technology |
Discussion Room | |
| Tuesday 14th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Chuong Tran University of St Andrews |
Discussion Room | |
| Tuesday 21st October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Jim Riley University of Washington |
Room 1 | 
|
| Thursday 23rd October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:15 to 16:15 |
Peter Davidson University of Cambridge |
Room 1 |
|
| Monday 27th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:00 to 15:00 | Room 1 | ||
| 15:30 to 16:30 |
Russell Donnelly University of Oregon |
Room 1 | |
| Wednesday 29th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Russell Donnelly University of Oregon |
Room 1 |
|
| 16:30 to 17:30 |
Russell Donnelly University of Oregon |
Room 1 | |
| Thursday 30th October 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:30 to 15:30 |
Julian Hunt University College London |
Room 2 | |
| Monday 10th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Chantal Staquet Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble |
Room 1 | |
| Tuesday 11th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Anthony Leonard CALTECH (California Institute of Technology) |
Room 1 |
|
| Wednesday 12th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 | Room 1 | ||
| Friday 14th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Peter Bartello McGill University |
Room 1 |
|
| Monday 17th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:30 to 16:00 | No Room Required | ||
| 16:00 to 16:05 | Room 2 | ||
| 16:05 to 16:50 |
Sreeni Sreenivasan Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics |
Room 2 | |
| 16:50 to 17:40 | Room 2 | ||
| 17:40 to 18:30 | Room 2 | ||
| 18:30 to 19:00 | No Room Required | ||
| Tuesday 18th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Peter Davidson University of Cambridge |
Room 1 | |
| Wednesday 19th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Rich Kerswell University of Bristol |
Room 2 | |
| Tuesday 25th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 | Room 1 | ||
| Thursday 27th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 | Room 1 |
|
|
| Friday 28th November 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Steve Tobias University of Leeds |
Room 1 |
|
| Tuesday 2nd December 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Francois Petrelis Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Modèles Statistiques |
Room 1 |
|
| Friday 5th December 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Jackson Herring National Center for Atmospheric Research |
Room 1 |
|
| Monday 15th December 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 to 11:00 |
Claude Cambon École Centrale de Lyon |
Room 2 | |
| 11:30 to 12:30 |
Joel Sommeria Collegio Carlo Alberto |
Room 2 | |
| Tuesday 16th December 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 to 16:00 |
Fabien Godeferd École Centrale de Lyon |
Room 2 | |
| Thursday 18th December 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:30 to 18:30 |
Claude Cambon École Centrale de Lyon |
Discussion Room | |
Organisers
- Peter Bartello McGill University
- Peter Davidson University of Cambridge
- Yukio Kaneda Nagoya University
- Rich Kerswell University of Bristol
Speakers
- Peter Bartello McGill University
- Claude Cambon École Centrale de Lyon
- Colm-cille Caulfield University of Cambridge
- Sergei Chernyshenko Imperial College London
- Peter Davidson University of Cambridge
- Russell Donnelly University of Oregon
- David Dritschel University of St Andrews
- Fabien Godeferd École Centrale de Lyon
- Toshiyuki Gotoh Nagoya Institute of Technology
- Jackson Herring National Center for Atmospheric Research
- Julian Hunt University College London
- Rich Kerswell University of Bristol
- Shigeo Kida Kyoto University
- Anthony Leonard CALTECH (California Institute of Technology)
- Erik Lindborg KTH - Royal Institute of Technology
- Ivan Marusic University of Melbourne
- Robert Moser Japan Atomic Energy Agency & University of Texas at Austin
- Martin Oberlack Technische Universität Darmstadt
- Francois Petrelis Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Modèles Statistiques
- Jim Riley University of Washington
- Brian Sawford Monash University
- Joel Sommeria Collegio Carlo Alberto
- Sreeni Sreenivasan Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
- Chantal Staquet Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble
- Steve Tobias University of Leeds
- Chuong Tran University of St Andrews
- Vladimir Zeitlin Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD-ENS)
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