On the origin of intermittency in wave turbulence

TL;DR

This paper investigates the causes of intermittency in wave turbulence, showing it occurs independently of large-scale structures and depends on the energy input, with spectral exponents influenced by forcing amplitude.

Contribution

It demonstrates that intermittency in wave turbulence arises independently of large-scale coherent structures and is affected by the energy injected into the system.

Findings

Intermittency occurs without large-scale coherent structures.

Intermittency depends on the power injected into the waves.

Spectral exponents vary with forcing amplitude.

Abstract

Using standard signal processing tools, we experimentally report that intermittency of wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid occurs even when two typical large-scale coherent structures (gravity wave breakings and bursts of capillary waves on steep gravity waves) are not taken into account. We also show that intermittency depends on the power injected into the waves. The dependence of the power-law exponent of the gravity-wave spectrum on the forcing amplitude cannot be also ascribed to these coherent structures. Statistics of these both events are studied.