Turbulent flows are ubiquitous, but they’re also mindbogglingly complex: ever-changing in both time and space across length scales both large and small. To try to unravel this complexity, scientists use simplified model problems. One such simplification is Kolmogorov flow: an imaginary flow where the fluid is forced back and forth sinusoidally. This large-scale forcing puts energy into the flow that cascades down to smaller length scales through the turbulent energy cascade. Here, researchers depict a numerical simulation of a turbulent Kolmogorov flow. The colors represent the flow’s vorticity field. Notice how your eye can pick out both tiny eddies and larger clusters in the flow; those patterns reflect the multi-scale nature of turbulence. (Image credit: C. Amores and M. Graham)
Kolmogorov Turbulence
