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Multi-scale statistics of turbulence motorized by active matter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2017

J. Urzay ,
A. Doostmohammadi Open the ORCID record for A. Doostmohammadi [Opens in a new window]  and
J. M. Yeomans Open the ORCID record for J. M. Yeomans [Opens in a new window]
J. Urzay*
Affiliation:
Center for Turbulence Research, Stanford University, CA 94305-3024, USA
A. Doostmohammadi
Affiliation:
Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, OX1 3NP, UK
J. M. Yeomans
Affiliation:
Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, OX1 3NP, UK
*
†Email address for correspondence: [email protected]
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Abstract

A number of micro-scale biological flows are characterized by spatio-temporal chaos. These include dense suspensions of swimming bacteria, microtubule bundles driven by motor proteins and dividing and migrating confluent layers of cells. A characteristic common to all of these systems is that they are laden with active matter, which transforms free energy in the fluid into kinetic energy. Because of collective effects, the active matter induces multi-scale flow motions that bear strong visual resemblance to turbulence. In this study, multi-scale statistical tools are employed to analyse direct numerical simulations (DNS) of periodic two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) active flows and to compare the results to classic turbulent flows. Statistical descriptions of the flows and their variations with activity levels are provided in physical and spectral spaces. A scale-dependent intermittency analysis is performed using wavelets. The results demonstrate fundamental differences between active and high-Reynolds-number turbulence; for instance, the intermittency is smaller and less energetic in active flows, and the work of the active stress is spectrally exerted near the integral scales and dissipated mostly locally by viscosity, with convection playing a minor role in momentum transport across scales.

JFM classification

Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows: Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows Turbulent Flows: Turbulent Flows
Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 822 , 10 July 2017 , pp. 762 - 773
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Copyright
© 2017 Cambridge University Press 

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Footnotes

‡

Both authors contributed equally to this work.

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