Giorgio Krstulovic

Energy cascade with small-scale thermalization, counterflow metastability, and anomalous velocity of vortex rings in Fourier-truncated Gross-Pitaevskii equation.

The statistical equilibria of the (conservative) dynamics of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) with a finite range of spatial Fourier modes are characterized using a new algorithm, based on a stochastically forced Ginzburg-Landau equation (SGLE), that directly generates grand-canonical distributions. The SGLE-generated distributions are validated against finite-temperature GPE-thermalized states and exact (low-temperature) results obtained by steepest descent on the (grand-canonical) partition function. A standard finite-temperature second-order λ transition is exhibited. A mechanism of GPE thermalization through a direct cascade of energy is found using initial conditions with mass and energy distributed at large scales. A long transient with partial thermalization at small scales is observed before the system reaches equilibrium. Vortices are shown to disappear as a prelude to final thermalization and their annihilation is related to the contraction of vortex rings due to mutual friction. Increasing the amount of dispersion at the truncation wave number is shown to slow thermalization and vortex annihilation. A bottleneck that produces spontaneous effective self-truncation with partial thermalization is characterized in the limit of large dispersive effects. Metastable counterflow states, with nonzero values of momentum, are generated using the SGLE algorithm. Spontaneous nucleation of the vortex ring is observed and the corresponding Arrhenius law is characterized. Dynamical counterflow effects on vortex evolution are investigated using two exact solutions of the GPE: traveling vortex rings and a motionless crystal-like lattice of vortex lines. Longitudinal effects are produced and measured on the crystal lattice. A dilatation of vortex rings is obtained for counterflows larger than their translational velocity. The vortex ring translational velocity has a dependence on temperature that is an order of magnitude above that of the crystal lattice, an effect that is related to the presence of finite-amplitude Kelvin waves. This anomalous vortex ring velocity is quantitatively reproduced by assuming equipartition of energy of the Kelvin waves. Orders of magnitude are given for the predicted effects in weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensates and superfluid ^{4}He.

Turbulent pair dispersion as a continuous-time random walk

The phenomenology of turbulent relative dispersion is revisited. A heuristic scenario is proposed, in which pairs of tracers undergo a succession of independent ballistic separations during time intervals whose lengths fluctuate. This approach suggests that the logarithm of the distance between tracers self-averages and performs a continuous-time random walk. This leads to specific predictions for the probability distribution of separations, which differ from those obtained using scale-dependent eddy-diffusivity models (e.g. in the framework of Richardson’s approach). These predictions are tested against high-resolution simulations and shed new light on the explosive separation between tracers.

Dispersive bottleneck delaying thermalization of turbulent bose-einstein condensates.

A new mechanism of thermalization involving a direct energy cascade is obtained in the truncated Gross-Pitaevskii dynamics. A long transient with partial thermalization at small scales is observed before the system reaches equilibrium. Vortices are found to disappear as a prelude to final thermalization. A bottleneck that produces spontaneous effective self-truncation and delays thermalization is characterized when large dispersive effects are present at the truncation wave number. Order of magnitude estimates indicate that self-truncation takes place in turbulent Bose-Einstein condensates. This effect should also be present in classical hydrodynamics and models of turbulence.

Alfvén waves and ideal two-dimensional Galerkin truncated magnetohydrodynamics.

We investigate numerically the dynamics of two-dimensional Euler and ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flows in systems with a finite number of modes, up to 4096(2), for which several quadratic invariants are preserved by the truncation and the statistical equilibria are known. Initial conditions are the Orszag-Tang vortex with a neutral X point centered on a stagnation point of the velocity field in the large scales. In MHD, we observe that the total energy spectra at intermediate times and intermediate scales correspond to the interactions of eddies and waves, E(T)(k)~k(-3/2). Moreover, no pseudodissipative range is visible for either Euler or ideal MHD in two dimensions. In the former case, this may be linked to the existence of a vanishing turbulent viscosity whereas in MHD, the numerical resolution employed may be insufficient. When imposing a uniform magnetic field to the flow, we observe a lack of saturation of the formation of small scales together with a significant slowing down of their equilibration, with however a cutoff independent partial thermalization being reached at intermediate scales.

Universal and nonuniversal aspects of vortex reconnections in superfluids

An insight into vortex reconnections in superfluids is presented making use of analytical results and numerical simulations of the Gross--Pitaevskii model. Universal aspects of the reconnection process are investigated by considering different initial vortex configurations and making use of a recently developed tracking algorithm to reconstruct the vortex filaments. We show that during a reconnection event the vortex lines approach and separate always accordingly to the time scaling

Axial dipolar dynamo action in the Taylor-Green vortex.

\delta \sim t^{1/2}

Evolution of a superfluid vortex filament tangle driven by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation

with pre-factors that depend on the vortex configuration. We also investigate the behavior of curvature and torsion close to the reconnection point, demonstrating analytically that the curvature can exhibit a self-similar behavior that might be broken by the development of shock-like structures in the torsion.

Grid superfluid turbulence and intermittency at very low temperature.

We present a numerical study of the magnetic field generated by the Taylor-Green vortex. We show that periodic boundary conditions can be used to mimic realistic boundary conditions by prescribing the symmetries of the velocity and magnetic fields. This gives insight into some problems of central interest for dynamos: the possible effect of velocity fluctuations on the dynamo threshold, and the role of boundary conditions on the threshold and on the geometry of the magnetic field generated by dynamo action. In particular, we show that an axial dipolar dynamo similar to the one observed in a recent experiment can be obtained with an appropriate choice of the symmetries of the magnetic field. The nonlinear saturation is studied and a simple model explaining the magnetic Prandtl number dependence of the super- and subcritical nature of the dynamo transition is given.

Clustering, fronts, and heat transfer in turbulent suspensions of heavy particles.

The development and decay of a turbulent vortex tangle driven by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation is studied. Using a recently developed accurate and robust tracking algorithm, all quantized vortices are extracted from the fields. The Vinens decay law for the total vortex length with a coefficient that is in quantitative agreement with the values measured in helium II is observed. The topology of the tangle is then investigated showing that linked rings may appear during the evolution. The tracking also allows for determining the statistics of small-scale quantities of vortex lines, exhibiting large fluctuations of curvature and torsion. Finally, the temporal evolution of the Kelvin wave spectrum is obtained providing evidence of the development of a weak-wave turbulence cascade.

Structures and Lagrangian statistics of the Taylor-Green dynamo

Low-temperature grid-generated turbulence is investigated by using numerical simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The statistics of regularized velocity increments are studied. Increments of the incompressible velocity are found to be skewed for turbulent states. Results are later confronted with the (quasi) homogeneous and isotropic Taylor-Green flow, revealing the universality of the statistics. For this flow, the statistics are found to be intermittent and a Kolmogorov constant close to the one of classical fluid is found for the second-order structure function.