Instanton Theory of Burgers Shocks and Intermittency

Abstract

A lagrangian approach to Burgers turbulence is carried out along the lines of the field theoretical Martin-Siggia-Rose formalism of stochastic hydrodynamics. We derive, from an analysis based on the hypothesis of unbroken galilean invariance, the asymptotic form of the probability distribution function of negative velocity-differences. The origin of Burgers intermittency is found to rely on the dynamical coupling between shocks, identified to instantons, and non-coherent background fluctuations, which, then, cannot be discarded in a consistent statistical description of the flow.