arXiv subjects

Berengere Dubrulle

Publications and source records attributed to Berengere Dubrulle.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Excess Dissipation of Energy in a Turbulent Boundary-Layer and its Departure from Log-Normality

We investigate turbulent dissipation in a von Karman flow using PIV and Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy measurements to directly compare bulk and wall dynamics. While bulk dissipation conforms to the dissipative anomaly, wall dissipation exhibits a clear excess that grows with Re, consistent with velocity-gradient dominated scaling. Decomposition into dissipation intensity bands reveals that this excess is mainly driven by progressive redistribution toward high-intensity events, larger than 10 x mean, as Re increases. From these measurements, we infer the skin-friction coefficient, finding a decreasing trend with Re fairly consistent with classical power-law behavior despite increasing dissipation. Statistically, the wall shows strong departures from log-normality at low Re that diminishes with increasing Re, reflecting an increase in the effective dimensionality of the near-wall gradient field with Re. In contrast, the bulk dissipation remains near log-normal across all Re with slowly growing log-dissipation variance, consistent with K62 refined similarity. These results suggest distinct origins of log-normal behavior which are multiplicative cascade dynamics in the bulk versus the combined effect of persistent shear and a superposition of an increasing number of independent gradient contributions at the wall.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Experimental measurement of the vorticity-strain alignment around extreme energy transfer events

This work experimentally explores the alignment of the vorticity vector and the strain-rate tensor eigenvectors at locations of extreme upscale and downscale energy transfer. We show that the turbulent von Karman flow displays vorticity-strain alignment behavior across a large range of Reynolds numbers, which are very similar to previous studies on homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. We observe that this behavior is amplified for the largest downscale energy transfer events, which tend to be associated with sheet-like geometries. These events are also shown to have characteristics previously associated with high flow field non-linearity and singularities. In contrast the largest upscale energy transfer events display much different structures which showcase a strong preference for vortex-compression. We then show further evidence to the argument that strain-self-amplification is the most salient feature in characterizing cascade direction. Finally, we identify possible invariant behavior for the largest energy transfer events, even at scales near the Kolmogorov scale.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Tracking complex singularities of fluids on log-lattices

In 1981, Frisch and Morf [1] postulated the existence of complex singularities in solutions of Navier-Stokes equations. Present progress on this conjecture is hindered by the computational burden involved in simulations of the Euler equations or the Navier-Stokes equations at high Reynolds numbers. We investigate this conjecture in the case of fluid dynamics on log-lattices, where the computational burden is logarithmic concerning ordinary fluid simulations. We analyze properties of potential complex singularities in both 1D and 3D models for lattices of different spacings. Dominant complex singularities are tracked using the singularity strip method to obtain new scalings regarding the approach to the real axis and the influence of normal, hypo and hyper dissipation.

math.AP↗

arXiv2022

Chameleon attractors in a turbulent flow

Turbulent flows present rich dynamics originating from non-trivial energy fluxes across scales, non-stationary forcings and geometrical constraints. This complexity manifests in non-hyperbolic chaos, randomness, state-dependent persistence and unpredictability. All these features have prevented a full characterization of the underlying turbulent (stochastic) attractor, which will be the key object to unpin this complexity. Here we propose a novel formalism to trace the evolution of the structural characteristics of phase-space trajectories across scales, providing a full characterization of the attractor. We demonstrate that the properties of the dynamically invariant objects depend on the scale we are focusing on. In the case of laboratory experiments on fluids we observe the emergence of an intrinsic timescale, solely determined by nonlinear interactions, controlling the geometrical and topological properties of phase-space trajectories. Given the changing nature of such attractors in time and scales we term them chameleon attractors.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2022

A novel concept of fractal dimension in deterministic and stochastic Lorenz-63 systems

Many natural systems show emergent phenomena at different scales, leading to scaling regimes with signatures of chaos at large scales and an apparently random behavior at small scales. These features are usually investigated quantitatively by studying the properties of the underlying attractor, the compact object asymptotically hosting the trajectories of the system with their invariant density in the phase-space. This multi-scale nature of natural systems makes it practically impossible to get a clear picture of the attracting set as it spans over a wide range of spatial scales and may even change in time due to non-stationary forcing. Here we combine an adaptive decomposition method with extreme value theory to study the properties of the instantaneous scale-dependent dimension, which has been recently introduced to characterize such temporal and spatial scale-dependent attractors in turbulence and astrophysics. To provide a quantitative analysis of the properties of this metric, we test it on the well-known low-dimensional deterministic Lorenz-63 system perturbed with additive or multiplicative noise. We demonstrate that the properties of the invariant set depend on the scale we are focusing on and that the scale-dependent dimensions can discriminate between additive and multiplicative noise, despite the fact that the two cases exhibit very similar stochastic attractors at large scales. The proposed formalism can be generally helpful to investigate the role of multi-scale fluctuations within complex systems, allowing us to deal with the problem of characterizing the role of stochastic fluctuations across a wide range of physical systems.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2019

Universality and Thermodynamics of Turbulence

We investigate universality of the Eulerian velocity structure functions using velocity fields obtained from the stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) technique in experiments and the direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the Navier-Stokes equations. We show that the numerical and experimental velocity structure functions up to order 9 follow a log-universality; we find that they collapse on a universal curve, if we use units that include logarithmic dependence on the Reynolds number. We then investigate the meaning and consequences of such log-universality, and show that it is connected with the properties of a "multifractal free energy", based on an analogy between multifractal and themodynamics. We show that in such a framework, the existence of a fluctuating dissipation scale is associated with a phase transition describing the relaminarisation of rough velocity fields with different Holder exponents. Such a phase transition has been already observed using the Lagrangian velocity structure functions, but was so far believed to be out of reach for the Eulerian data.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2016

Stochastic chaos in a turbulent swirling flow

We report the experimental evidence of the existence of a random attractor in a fully developed turbulent swirling flow. By defining a global observable which tracks the asymmetry in the flux of angular momentum imparted to the flow, we can first reconstruct the associated turbulent attractor and then follow its route towards chaos. We further show that the experimental attractor can be modeled by stochastic Duffing equations, that match the quantitative properties of the experimental flow, namely the number of quasi-stationary states and transition rates among them, the effective dimensions, and the continuity of the first Lyapunov exponents. Such properties can neither be recovered using deterministic models nor using stochastic differential equations based on effective potentials obtained by inverting the probability distributions of the experimental global observables. Our findings open the way to low dimensional modeling of systems featuring a large number of degrees of freedom and multiple quasi-stationary states.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2015

A non equilibrium Ising model of turbulence

We introduce a model of interacting lattices at different resolutions driven by the two-dimensional Ising dynamics with a nearest-neighbor interaction. We study this model both with tools borrowed from equilibrium statistical mechanics as well as non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Our findings show that this model keeps the signature of the equilibrium phase transition. Moreover the critical temperature of the equilibrium models correspond to the state maximizing the entropy and delimits two out-of-equilibrium regimes, one satisfying the Onsager relations for systems close to equilibrium and one resembling convective turbulent states. Since the model preserves the entropy and energy fluxes in the scale space, it seems a good candidate for parametric studies of out-of-equilibrium turbulent systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2015

Maximum Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy vs minimum mixing time in Markov chains

Many modern techniques employed in physics, such a computation of path integrals, rely on random walks on graphs that can be represented as Markov chains. Traditionally, estimates of running times of such sampling algorithms are computed using the number of steps in the chain needed to reach the stationary distribution. This quantity is generally defined as mixing time and is often difficult to compute. In this paper, we suggest an alternative estimate based on the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy, by establishing a link between the maximization of KSE and the minimization of the mixing time. Since KSE are easier to compute in general than mixing time, this link provides a new faster method to approximate the minimum mixing time that could be interesting in computer sciences and statistical physics. Beyond this, our finding will also be of interest to the out-of-equilibrium community, by providing a new rational to select stationary states in out-of-equilibrium physics: it seems reasonable that in a physical system with two simultaneous equiprobable possible dynamics, the final stationary state will be closer to the stationary state corresponding to the fastest dynamics (smallest mixing time).Through the empirical link found in this letter, this state will correspond to a state of maximal Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy. If this is true, this would provide a more satisfying rule for selecting stationary states in complex systems such as climate than the maximization of the entropy production.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2015

Statistical optimization for passive scalar transport: maximum entropy production vs maximum Kolmogorov-Sinay entropy

We derive rigorous results on the link between the principle of maximum entropy production and the principle of maximum Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy using a Markov model of the passive scalar diffusion called the Zero Range Process. We show analytically that both the entropy production and the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy seen as functions of f admit a unique maximum denoted fmaxEP and fmaxKS. The behavior of these two maxima is explored as a function of the system disequilibrium and the system resolution N. The main result of this article is that fmaxEP and fmaxKS have the same Taylor expansion at _rst order in the deviation of equilibrium. We find that fmaxEP hardly depends on N whereas fmaxKS depends strongly on N. In particular, for a fixed difference of potential between the reservoirs, fmaxEP (N) tends towards a non-zero value, while fmaxKS (N) tends to 0 when N goes to infinity. For values of N typical of that adopted by Paltridge and climatologists we show that fmaxEP and fmaxKS coincide even far from equilibrium. Finally, we show that one can find an optimal resolution N_ such that fmaxEP and fmaxKS coincide, at least up to a second order parameter proportional to the non-equilibrium uxes imposed to the boundaries.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2014

Probing turbulence intermittency via Auto-Regressive Moving-Average models

We suggest a new approach to probing intermittency corrections to the Kolmogorov law in turbulent flows based on the Auto-Regressive Moving-Average modeling of turbulent time series. We introduce a new index $Υ$ that measures the distance from a Kolmogorov-Obukhov model in the Auto-Regressive Moving-Average models space. Applying our analysis to Particle Image Velocimetry and Laser Doppler Velocimetry measurements in a von Kármán swirling flow, we show that $Υ$ is proportional to the traditional intermittency correction computed from the structure function. Therefore it provides the same information, using much shorter time series. We conclude that $Υ$ is a suitable index to reconstruct the spatial intermittency of the dissipation in both numerical and experimental turbulent fields.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2011

Anomalous scaling and generic structure function in turbulence

We discuss on an example a general mechanism of apparition of anomalous scaling in scale invariant systems via zero modes of a scale invariant operator. We discuss the relevance of such mechanism in turbulence, and point out a peculiarity of turbulent flows, due to the existence of both forcing and dissipation. Following these considerations, we show that if this mechanism of anomalous scaling is operating in turbulence, the structure functions can be constructed by simple symmetry considerations. We find that the generical scale behavior of structure functions in the inertial range is not self-similar $S_n(\ell)\propto \ell^{ζ_n}$ but includes an "exponential self-similar" behavior $S_n(\ell) \propto \exp[ζ_nα^{-1} \ell^α]$ where $α$ is a parameter proportional to the inverse of the logarithm of the Reynolds number. The solution also follows exact General Scaling and approximate Extended Self-Similarity.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2011

Horizontally oriented plates in clouds

Horizontally oriented plates in clouds generate a sharp specular reflectance signal in the glint direction, often referred to as "subsun". This signal (amplitude and width) may be used to analyze the relative area fraction of oriented plates in the cloud top layer and their characteristic tilt angle to the horizontal. We make use of spaceborne measurements from the POLDER instrument to provide a statistical analysis of these parameters. More than half of the clouds show a detectable maximum reflectance in the glint direction, although this maximum may be rather faint. The typical effective fraction (area weighted) of oriented plates in clouds lies between 10-3 and 10-2. For those oriented plates, the characteristic tilt angle is less than 1 degree in most cases. These low fractions imply that the impact of oriented plates on the cloud albedo is insignificant. The largest proportion of clouds with horizontally oriented plates is found in the range 500-700 hPa, in agreement with typical in situ observation of plates in clouds. We propose a simple aerodynamic model that accounts for the orienting torque of the flow as the plate falls under its own gravity and the disorienting effects of Brownian motion and atmospheric turbulence. The model indicates that the horizontal plate diameters are in the range 0.1 to a few millimeters. For such sizes, Brownian forces have a negligible impact on the plate orientation. On the other hand, typical levels of atmospheric turbulence lead to tilt angles that are similar to those estimated from the glint observation.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2011

Present and Last Glacial Maximum climates as states of maximum entropy production

The Earth, like other planets with a relatively thick atmosphere, is not locally in radiative equilibrium and the transport of energy by the geophysical fluids (atmosphere and ocean) plays a fundamental role in determining its climate. Using simple energy-balance models, it was suggested a few decades ago that the meridional energy fluxes might follow a thermodynamic Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) principle. In the present study, we assess the MEP hypothesis in the framework of a minimal climate model based solely on a robust radiative scheme and the MEP principle, with no extra assumptions. Specifically, we show that by choosing an adequate radiative exchange formulation, the Net Exchange Formulation, a rigorous derivation of all the physical parameters can be performed. The MEP principle is also extended to surface energy fluxes, in addition to meridional energy fluxes. The climate model presented here is extremely fast, needs very little empirical data and does not rely on ad hoc parameterizations. We investigate its range of validity by comparing its performances for pre-industrial climate and Last Glacial Maximum climate with corresponding simulations with the IPSL coupled atmosphere-ocean General Circulation Model IPSL_CM4, finding reasonable agreement. Beyond the practical interest of this result for climate modelling, it supports the idea that, to a certain extent, climate can be characterized with macroscale features with no need to compute the underlying microscale dynamics.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2010

Statistical mechanics of Beltrami flows in axisymmetric geometry: Equilibria and bifurcations

We characterize the thermodynamical equilibrium states of axisymmetric Euler-Beltrami flows. They have the form of coherent structures presenting one or several cells. We find the relevant control parameters and derive the corresponding equations of state. We prove the coexistence of several equilibrium states for a given value of the control parameter like in 2D turbulence [Chavanis and Sommeria, J. Fluid Mech. 314, 267 (1996)]. We explore the stability of these equilibrium states and show that all states are saddle points of entropy and can, in principle, be destabilized by a perturbation with a larger wavenumber, resulting in a structure at the smallest available scale. This mechanism is therefore reminiscent of the 3D Richardson energy cascade towards smaller and smaller scales. Therefore, our system is truly intermediate between 2D turbulence (coherent structures) and 3D turbulence (energy cascade). We further explore numerically the robustness of the equilibrium states with respect to random perturbations using a relaxation algorithm in both canonical and microcanonical ensembles. We show that saddle points of entropy can be very robust and therefore play a role in the dynamics. We evidence differences in the robustness of the solutions in the canonical and microcanonical ensembles. A scenario of bifurcation between two different equilibria (with one or two cells) is proposed and discussed in connection with a recent observation of a turbulent bifurcation in a von Karman experiment [Ravelet et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 164501 (2004)].

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2010

Statistical mechanics of Beltrami flows in axisymmetric geometry: Theory reexamined

A simplified thermodynamic approach of the incompressible axisymmetric Euler equations is considered based on the conservation of helicity, angular momentum and microscopic energy. Statistical equilibrium states are obtained by maximizing the Boltzmann entropy under these sole constraints. We assume that these constraints are selected by the properties of forcing and dissipation. The fluctuations are found to be Gaussian while the mean flow is in a Beltrami state. Furthermore, we show that the maximization of entropy at fixed helicity, angular momentum and microscopic energy is equivalent to the minimization of macroscopic energy at fixed helicity and angular momentum. This provides a justification of this selective decay principle from statistical mechanics. These theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experiments of a von Karman turbulent flow and provide a way to measure the temperature of turbulence and check Fluctuation-Dissipation Relations (FDR). Relaxation equations are derived that could provide an effective description of the dynamics towards the Beltrami state and the progressive emergence of a Gaussian distribution. They can also provide a numerical algorithm to determine maximum entropy states or minimum energy states.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2008

Characterization of turbulence in inhomogeneous anisotropic flows

We introduce a global quantity $δ$ that characterizes turbulent fluctuations in inhomogeneous anisotropic flows. This time-dependent quantity is based on spatial averages of global velocity fields rather than classical temporal averages of local velocities. $δ(t)$ provides a useful quantitative characterization of any turbulent flow through generally only two parameters, its time average $\bar δ$ and its variance $δ_2$. Properties of $\bar δ$ and $δ_2$ are experimentally studied in the typical case of the von Kármán flow and used to characterize the scale by scale energy budget as a function of the forcing mode as well as the transition between two flow topologies.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2007

Walls Inhibit Chaotic Mixing

We report on experiments of chaotic mixing in a closed vessel, in which a highly viscous fluid is stirred by a moving rod. We analyze quantitatively how the concentration field of a low-diffusivity dye relaxes towards homogeneity, and we observe a slow algebraic decay of the inhomogeneity, at odds with the exponential decay predicted by most previous studies. Visual observations reveal the dominant role of the vessel wall, which strongly influences the concentration field in the entire domain and causes the anomalous scaling. A simplified 1D model supports our experimental results. Quantitative analysis of the concentration pattern leads to scalings for the distributions and the variance of the concentration field consistent with experimental and numerical results.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗