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Clustering of heavy particles in random self-similar flow

J. Bec, M. Cencini, and R. Hillerbrand
Phys. Rev. E 75, 025301(R) – Published 9 February 2007

Abstract

A statistical description of heavy particles suspended in incompressible rough self-similar flows is developed. It is shown that, differently from smooth flows, particles do not form fractal clusters. They rather distribute inhomogeneously with a statistics that only depends on a local Stokes number, given by the ratio between the particles’ response time and the turnover time associated with the observation scale. Particle clustering is reduced by the fluid roughness. Heuristic arguments supported by numerics explain this effect in terms of the algebraic tails of the probability density function of the velocity difference between two particles.

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  • Received 12 June 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.75.025301

©2007 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

J. Bec1, M. Cencini2,3, and R. Hillerbrand1,4

  • 1CNRS UMR 6202, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, BP4229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
  • 2CNR, Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Roma, Italy
  • 3INFM-SMC c/o Dip. di Fisica Università Roma 1, P.zzle A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
  • 4Institut für theoretische Physik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 75, Iss. 2 — February 2007

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