Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Experimental Investigation of the Flow Structure over a Delta Wing Via Flow Visualization Methods
Published on: April 23, 2018
Statistical theory of reversals in two-dimensional confined turbulent flows
Vishwanath Shukla1, Stephan Fauve1, Marc Brachet1
1Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University; UPMC Univ Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris-Cité; and CNRS, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
It is shown that the truncated Euler equation (TEE), i.e., a finite set of ordinary differential equations for the amplitude of the large-scale modes, can correctly describe the complex transitional dynamics that occur within the turbulent regime of a confined two-dimensional flow obeying Navier-Stokes equation (NSE) with bottom friction and a spatially periodic forcing. The random reversals of the NSE large-scale circulation on the turbulent background involve bifurcations of the probability distribution function of the large-scale circulation. We demonstrate that these NSE bifurcations are described by the related TEE microcanonical distribution which displays transitions from Gaussian to bimodal and broken ergodicity. A minimal 13-mode model reproduces these results.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Poiseuille's Law and Reynolds Number
Reynolds Transport Theorem
Turbulent Flow
Irrotational Flow
The Buckingham Pi Theorem
Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes

