Turbulence

 

As stated by Richard Feynman, turbulence is one of the last great unsolved problems of classical physics. It serves as the paradigm of a nonlinear complex system, which has to be analyzed using a combination of nonlinear dynamics, statistical physics, and stochastic processes. The aim of our group is to gain a deeper understanding of the spatio-temporal properties of turbulent flows. The following issues are investigated in detail

• Turbulent cascade and statistical Properties of Eulerian velocity increments
• Assessment of stochastic processes underlying the Lagrangian motion of passive particles in turbulent flows
• Coherent structures, vortex filaments, and intermittency

A further  focus of research is plasma turbulence. This issue is pursued with a Junior Research Group  (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft)  headed by Prof. Dr. F. Jenko (MPI Plasma Physics, Garching).

Numerical as well as analytical methods are applied. Numerical calculations concern two- and three- dimensional Eulerian turbulent fields as well as the paths of passive Lagrangian particles (2D, 3D). Analytical methods from the theory of nonlinear dynamics and the theory of stochastic processes are applied to assess the physical rules underlying turbulent flows.

[turbulence movie gallery]