scholarly journals How do velocity structure functions trace gas dynamics in simulated molecular clouds?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roxana-Adela Chira ◽  
Juan C. Ibanez-Mejia ◽  
Mordecai-Mark Mac Low ◽  
Thomas Henning
Keyword(s):  
Gas Dynamics ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Trace Gas

scholarly journals Gas Dynamics and Active Phenomena in Galactic Nuclei: M100 and M94

1996 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 247-249
Author(s):  
Kazushi Sakamoto ◽  
Takeo Minezaki ◽  
Keiichi Wada ◽  
Sachiko Okumura ◽  
Yukiyasu Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
Gravitational Potential ◽  
Gas Dynamics ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Barred Galaxies ◽  
Nir Imaging ◽  
Oval Distortion

Since molecular gas fuels AGNs and molecular clouds form stars, understanding of molecular gas dynamics is a key to the understanding of active phenomena (such as starbursts and AGNs) in galactic nuclei. To study gas dynamics in weakly barred galaxies, we made CO interferometry (to trace gas) and NIR imaging (to trace stars) toward two nearby SAB galaxies M100 and M94. Each galaxy has a small stellar nuclear bar and also has an outer bar or oval distortion, thus suitable for the study of gas dynamics in a barred gravitational potential. Observations were made using Nobeyama Millimeter Array (NMA) and the IRcamera PICNIC installed at the ISAS 1.3 m telescope.

scholarly journals How do velocity structure functions trace gas dynamics in simulated molecular clouds?

2019 ◽  
Vol 630 ◽  
pp. A97 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.-A. Chira ◽  
J. C. Ibáñez-Mejía ◽  
M.-M. Mac Low ◽  
Th. Henning
Keyword(s):  
Gravitational Collapse ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Velocity Relationship ◽  
Crossing Time ◽  
Density Weighting

Context. Supersonic disordered flows accompany the formation and evolution of molecular clouds (MCs). It has been argued that this is turbulence that can support against gravitational collapse and form hierarchical sub-structures. Aims. We examine the time evolution of simulated MCs to investigate: What physical process dominates the driving of turbulent flows? How can these flows be characterised? Are they consistent with uniform turbulence or gravitational collapse? Do the simulated flows agree with observations? Methods. We analysed three MCs that have formed self-consistently within kiloparsec-scale numerical simulations of the interstellar medium (ISM). The simulated ISM evolves under the influence of physical processes including self-gravity, stratification, magnetic fields, supernova-driven turbulence, and radiative heating and cooling. We characterise the flows using velocity structure functions (VSFs) with and without density weighting or a density cutoff, and computed in one or three dimensions. However, we do not include optical depth effects that can hide motions in the densest gas, limiting comparison of our results with observations. Results. In regions with sufficient resolution, the density-weighted VSFs initially appear to follow the expectations for uniform turbulence, with a first-order power-law exponent consistent with Larson’s size-velocity relationship. Supernova blast wave impacts on MCs produce short-lived coherent motions at large scales, increasing the scaling exponents for a crossing time. Gravitational contraction drives small-scale motions, producing scaling coefficients that drop or even turn negative as small scales become dominant. Removing the density weighting eliminates this effect as it emphasises the diffuse ISM. Conclusions. We conclude that two different effects coincidentally reproduce Larson’s size velocity relationship. Initially, uniform turbulence dominates, so the energy cascade produces VSFs that are consistent with Larson’s relationship. Later, contraction dominates and the density-weighted VSFs become much shallower or even inverted, but the relationship of the global average velocity dispersion of the MCs to their radius follows Larson’s relationship, reflecting virial equilibrium or free-fall collapse. The injection of energy by shocks is visible in the VSFs, but decays within a crossing time.

scholarly journals Calculation of velocity structure functions for vortex models of isotropic turbulence

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 3072-3084 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Saffman ◽  
D. I. Pullin
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Structure Functions

scholarly journals Scaling and Similarity of the Anisotropic Coherent Eddies in Near-Surface Atmospheric Turbulence

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 943-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Ghannam ◽  
Gabriel G. Katul ◽  
Elie Bou-Zeid ◽  
Tobias Gerken ◽  
Marcelo Chamecki
Keyword(s):  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Longitudinal Velocity ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Vegetation Canopies ◽  
Velocity Spectra ◽  
Attached Eddies

Abstract The low-wavenumber regime of the spectrum of turbulence commensurate with Townsend’s “attached” eddies is investigated here for the near-neutral atmospheric surface layer (ASL) and the roughness sublayer (RSL) above vegetation canopies. The central thesis corroborates the significance of the imbalance between local production and dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and canopy shear in challenging the classical distance-from-the-wall scaling of canonical turbulent boundary layers. Using five experimental datasets (two vegetation canopy RSL flows, two ASL flows, and one open-channel experiment), this paper explores (i) the existence of a low-wavenumber k−1 scaling law in the (wind) velocity spectra or, equivalently, a logarithmic scaling ln(r) in the velocity structure functions; (ii) phenomenological aspects of these anisotropic scales as a departure from homogeneous and isotropic scales; and (iii) the collapse of experimental data when plotted with different similarity coordinates. The results show that the extent of the k−1 and/or ln(r) scaling for the longitudinal velocity is shorter in the RSL above canopies than in the ASL because of smaller scale separation in the former. Conversely, these scaling laws are absent in the vertical velocity spectra except at large distances from the wall. The analysis reveals that the statistics of the velocity differences Δu and Δw approach a Gaussian-like behavior at large scales and that these eddies are responsible for momentum/energy production corroborated by large positive (negative) excursions in Δu accompanied by negative (positive) ones in Δw. A length scale based on TKE dissipation collapses the velocity structure functions at different heights better than the inertial length scale.

scholarly journals Solar wind low-frequency magnetohydrodynamic turbulence: extended self-similarity and scaling laws

1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Carbone ◽  
P. Veltri ◽  
R. Bruno
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Fluid Flows ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Self Similarity ◽  
Extended Self ◽  
Scaling Exponents ◽  
Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence

Abstract. In this paper we review some of the work done in investigating the scaling properties of Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, by using velocity fluctuations measurements performed in the interplanetary space plasma by the Helios spacecraft. The set of scaling exponents ξq for the q-th order velocity structure functions, have been determined by using the Extended Self-Similarity hypothesis. We have found that the q-th order velocity structure function, when plotted vs. the 4-th order structure function, displays a range of self-similarity which extends over all the lengths covered by measurements, thus allowing for a very good determination of ξq. Moreover the results seem to show that the scaling exponents are the same regardless the various observation periods considered. The obtained scaling exponents have been compared with the results of some intermittency models for Kraichnan's turbulence, derived in the framework of infinitely divisible fragmentation processes, showing the good agreement between these models and our observations. Finally, on the basis of the actually available data sets, we show that scaling laws in Solar Wind turbulence seem to be different from turbulent scaling laws in the ordinary fluid flows. This is true for high-order velocity structure functions, while low-order velocity structure functions show the same scaling laws. Since our measurements involve length scales which extend over many order of magnitude where dissipation is practically absent, our results show that Solar Wind turbulence can be regarded as a testing bench for the investigation of general scaling behaviour in turbulent flows. In particular our results strongly support the point of view which attributes a key role to the inertial range dynamics in determining the intermittency characteristics in fluid flows, in contrast with the point of view which attributes intermittency to a finite Reynolds number effect.

scholarly journals Can We Detect Submesoscale Motions in Drifter Pair Dispersion?

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 2237-2254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Essink ◽  
Verena Hormann ◽  
Luca R. Centurioni ◽  
Amala Mahadevan
Keyword(s):  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Mesoscale Eddies ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Helmholtz Decomposition ◽  
Impact Structure ◽  
Inertial Oscillations ◽  
Geostrophic Velocity ◽  
Local Dispersion

AbstractA cluster of 45 drifters deployed in the Bay of Bengal is tracked for a period of four months. Pair dispersion statistics, from observed drifter trajectories and simulated trajectories based on surface geostrophic velocity, are analyzed as a function of drifter separation and time. Pair dispersion suggests nonlocal dynamics at submesoscales of 1–20 km, likely controlled by the energetic mesoscale eddies present during the observations. Second-order velocity structure functions and their Helmholtz decomposition, however, suggest local dispersion and divergent horizontal flow at scales below 20 km. This inconsistency cannot be explained by inertial oscillations alone, as has been reported in recent studies, and is likely related to other nondispersive processes that impact structure functions but do not enter pair dispersion statistics. At scales comparable to the deformation radius LD, which is approximately 60 km, we find dynamics in agreement with Richardson’s law and observe local dispersion in both pair dispersion statistics and second-order velocity structure functions.

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