The Essence of Turbulence As a Physical Phenomenon : With Emphasis on Issues of Paradigmatic Nature

Now in its second edition, this book clearly, concisely and comprehensively outlines the essence of turbulence. In view of the absence of a theory based on first principles and adequate tools to handle the problem, the “essence” of turbulence, i.e. what turbulence really is from a fundamental point of view, is understood empirically through observations from nature, laboratories and direct numerical simulations rather than explained by means of conventional formalistic aspects, models, etc., resulting in pertinent issues being described at a highly theoretical level in spite of the mentioned lack of theory. As such, the book highlights and critically reexamines fundamental issues, especially those of paradigmatic nature, related to conceptual and problematic aspects, key misconceptions and unresolved matters, and discusses why the problem is so difficult. As in the previous edition, the focus on fundamental issues is also a consequence of the view that without corresponding advances in fundamental aspects there is little chance of progress in any applications. More generally there is a desperate need for physical fundamentals of a great variety of processes in nature and technology in which turbulence plays a central role. Turbulence is omnipresent throughout the natural sciences and technology, but despite the vast sea of information available the book retains its brevity without oversimplifications, making it of interest to a broad audience. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvi Front Matter ....Pages 1-2 The Phenomenon of Turbulence as Distinct from the Problem of Turbulence (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 3-9 The Problem of Turbulence as Distinct from the Phenomenon of Turbulence (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 11-16 What Equations Describe Turbulence Adequately? (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 17-38 Front Matter ....Pages 39-39 Origins of Turbulence (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 41-46 Nature of Turbulence (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 47-66 Additional Issues of Importance Related to the Use of Statistical Methods (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 67-84 Front Matter ....Pages 85-85 The N’s of Turbulence (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 87-129 Large Reynolds Number Behavior, Symmetries, Universality (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 131-155 Intermittency and Structure(s) of and/in Turbulence (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 157-190 Front Matter ....Pages 191-192 On the Status (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 193-210 Appendix. Essential Quotations (Arkady Tsinober)....Pages 211-219 Back Matter ....Pages 221-229 This book critically reexamines what turbulence really is, from a fundamental point of view and based on observations from nature, laboratories, and direct numerical simulations. It includes critical assessments and a comparative analysis of the key developments, their evolution and failures, along with key misconceptions and outdated paradigms. The main emphasis is on conceptual and problematic aspects, physical phenomena, observations, misconceptions and unresolved issues rather than on conventional formalistic aspects, models, etc. Apart from the obvious fundamental importance of turbulent flows, this emphasis stems from the basic premise that without corresponding progress in fundamental aspects there is little chance for progress in applications such as drag reduction, mixing, control and modeling of turbulence. More generally, there is also a desperate need to grasp the physical fundamentals of the technological processes in which turbulence plays a central role.