The Kolmogorov-Obukhov Exponent in the Inertial Range of Turbulence: A Reexamination of Experimental Data

Abstract

In recent papers Benzi et al. presented experimental data and an analysis to the effect that the well-known "2/3" Kolmogorov-Obukhov exponent in the inertial range of local structure in turbulence should be corrected by a small but definitely non-zero amount. We reexamine the very same data and show that this conclusion is unjustified. The data are in fact consistent with incomplete similarity in the inertial range, and with an exponent that depends on the Reynolds number and tends to 2/3 in the limit of vanishing viscosity. If further data confirm this conclusion, the understanding of local structure would be profoundly affected.