Observation of wave turbulence in vibrating plates

Arezki Boudaoud (1) , Olivier Cadot (2) , Benoît Odille (2) , Cyril Touzé (2)

1 LPS - Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'ENS
2 UME - Unité de Mécanique

The nonlinear interaction of waves in a driven medium may lead to wave turbulence, a state such that energy is transferred from large to small lengthscales. Here, wave turbulence is observed in experiments on a vibrating plate. The frequency power spectra of the normal velocity of the plate may be rescaled on a single curve, with power-law behaviors that are incompatible with the weak turbulence theory of D{ü}ring et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 025503 (2006)]. Alternative scenarios are suggested to account for this discrepancy --- in particular the occurrence of wave breaking at high frequencies. Finally, the statistics of velocity increments do not display an intermittent behavior.

Domaines: Dynamique Chaotique [nlin.CD]; Vibrations [physics.class-ph]; Vibrations [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique statistique [cond-mat.stat-mech]

Arezki Boudaoud, Olivier Cadot, Benoît Odille, Cyril Touzé. Observation of wave turbulence in vibrating plates. Physical Review Letters, 2008, 100 (23), pp.234504. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.234504⟩. ⟨hal-00326634⟩