The Batchelor-Howells-Townsend spectrum: large velocity case

Abstract

We consider the behaviour of a passive tracer $\theta$ governed by $\partial_t\theta + u\cdot\nabla\theta = \Delta\theta + g$ in two space dimensions with prescribed smooth random incompressible velocity $u(x,t)$ and source $g(x)$. In 1959, Batchelor, Howells and Townsend (J.\ Fluid Mech.\ 5:113) predicted that the tracer (power) spectrum should then scale as $|\theta_k|^2\propto|k|^{-4}|u_k|^2$ for $|k|$ large depending on the velocity $u$. For smaller $|k|$, Obukhov and Corrsin earlier predicted a different spectral scaling. In this paper, we prove that the BHT scaling does indeed hold probabilistically for sufficiently large $|k|$, asymptotically up to controlled remainders, using only bounds on the smaller $|k|$ component.