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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Extending Kolmogorov theory to polymeric turbulence

Alessandro Chiarini1,2,*, Rahul K. Singh1,†, and Marco E. Rosti1,‡

  • *Contact author: alessandro.chiarini@polimi.it
  • †Contact author: rksphys@gmail.com
  • ‡Contact author: marco.rosti@oist.jp
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L022043 – Published 29 May, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.L022043

Abstract

We present a formalism that reconciles polymeric turbulence with the classical Kolmogorov phenomenology. By relying on an appropriate form of the Kármán-Howarth-Monin-Hill equation, we define extended velocity increments and structure functions that also incorporate the non-Newtonian, polymeric contribution. The pth-order extended structure functions exhibit a power-law behavior in the elastoinertial range of scales, with exponents deviating from the analytically predicted value of p/3. These deviations are readily accounted for by considering local averages of the total dissipation rather than global averages. We also demonstrate the scale invariance of multiplier statistics of the extended velocity increments, whose distributions collapse for a wide range of scales.

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References (40)

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L022043– Published 29 May, 2025
  • Received 16 October 2024
  • Accepted 8 May 2025
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