Extreme fluctuations and the finite lifetime of the turbulent state

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the transition to turbulence is governed by large amplitude events following extreme distribution theory, explaining the super-exponential scaling of turbulent state lifetime with Reynolds number.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework linking extreme event distributions to turbulence transition and lifetime scaling.

Findings

Turbulent state lifetime scales super-exponentially with Reynolds number.

Large amplitude events are key to understanding turbulence transition.

Extreme distribution theory explains recent observations of turbulence behavior.

Abstract

We argue that the transition to turbulence is controlled by large amplitude events that follow extreme distribution theory. The theory suggests an explanation for recent observations of the turbulent state lifetime which exhibit super-exponential scaling behaviour with Reynolds number.