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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions
Published on: February 22, 2018
Chaotic Properties of a Turbulent Isotropic Fluid
Arjun Berera1, Richard D J G Ho1
1SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, JCMB, King's Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
By tracking the divergence of two initially close trajectories in phase space in an Eulerian approach to forced turbulence, the relation between the maximal Lyapunov exponent λ and the Reynolds number Re is measured using direct numerical simulations, performed on up to 2048^{3} collocation points. The Lyapunov exponent is found to solely depend on the Reynolds number with λ∝Re^{0.53} and that after a transient period the divergence of trajectories grows at the same rate at all scales. Finally a linear divergence is seen that is dependent on the energy forcing rate. Links are made with other chaotic systems.
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