Studying turbulence in a fluid with background damping

In this experimental paper, we demonstrate that turbulence can develop in a fluid system with background damping. For that purpose, we analyze dust acoustic waves, self-excited in a fluid complex plasma where the motion of individual microparticles was recorded with a high-speed video camera. We use the Wiener-Khinchin theorem to calculate the kinetic spectrum during different phases of the highly nonlinear periodic wave motion and show that a turbulent cascade develops at the phases of highest particle compression. We demonstrate that the energy cascade occurs despite the presence of a damping force due to the background neutral gas.

Automated summary

In this experimental paper, we demonstrate the development of turbulence in a fluid system with background damping. By analyzing dust acoustic waves in a fluid complex plasma, we show that a turbulent cascade occurs during the phases of highest particle compression. Additionally, we find that this energy cascade persists despite the presence of a damping force from the background neutral gas.