Turbulence: Challenges for Theory and Experiment

JAN 01, 1990

High‐Reynolds‐number flows are ubiquitous. Although many aspects of such flows have been understood phenomenologically, a systematic theory of their detailed properties requires novel experiments.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881235

Uriel Frisch

Steven A. Orszag

Research in macroscopic classical physics, such as fluid dynamics or aspects of condensed matter physics, continues to confront baffling challenges that are by no means less demanding than those at the post‐Newtonian frontiers of physics that have been explored since the beginning of this century. This is so even though the basic equations of macroscopic classical physics are known—indeed, have been known for centuries in many cases. Chaos and nonlinear dynamics are examples of the topics that pose new challenges to our understanding of macroscopic classical systems. Turbulence, a phenomenon related to but distinct from chaos, and having strong roots in engineering, has been increasingly in the focus of physics research in recent years.

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More about the Authors

Uriel Frisch. CNRS, France.

Steven A. Orszag. Princeton University.