Physics of Wave Turbulence

Description

A century ago, Lewis Fry Richardson introduced the concept of energy cascades in turbulence. Since this conceptual breakthrough, turbulence has been studied in diverse systems and our knowledge has increased considerably through theoretical, numerical, experimental and observational advances. Eddy turbulence and wave turbulence are the two regimes we can find in nature. So far, most attention has been devoted to the former regime, eddy turbulence, which is often observed in water. However, physicists are often interested in systems for which wave turbulence is relevant. This textbook deals with wave turbulence and systems composed of a sea of weak waves interacting non-linearly. After a general introduction which includes a brief history of the field, the theory of wave turbulence is introduced rigorously for surface waves. The theory is then applied to examples in hydrodynamics, plasma physics, astrophysics and cosmology, giving the reader a modern and interdisciplinary view of the subject.

Sebastien Galtier is a Professor at the University of Paris-Saclay. His research focuses on fundamental aspects of turbulence with applications to space plasmas and cosmology. He has published over 100 refereed papers and a graduate text, Introduction to Modern Magnetohydrodynamics (Cambridge University Press, 2016). He is a senior fellow of the prestigious Institut Universitaire de France.