Kolmogorov's Lagrangian similarity law newly assessed

Abstract

Kolmogorov's similarity turbulence theory in a Lagrangian frame is assessed with new direct numerical simulations (DNS) of isotropic turbulence with and without hyperviscosity, which attain higher Reynolds numbers than previously available. It is demonstrated that hyperviscous simulations can be used to accurately predict second order Lagrangian velocity structure function (LVSF-2) in the inertial range. The results give strong support for Kolmogorov's Lagrangian similarity assumption and allow to compute the universal constant of the LVSF-2, which gives $C_0=7.5 \pm 0.2$, with a new level of confidence.