Universal profile of the vortex condensate in two-dimensional turbulence

Jason Laurie, Guido Boffetta, Gregory Falkovich, Igor Kolokolov, Vladimir Lebedev

Published 2014-06-05Version 1

An inverse turbulent cascade in a restricted two-dimensional periodic domain leads to the creation of condensate -- a pair of coherent system-size vortices. We perform extensive numerical simulations of this system and carry on detailed theoretical analysis based upon momentum and energy exchanges between the turbulence fluctuations and the mean coherent condensate (vortices). The theory predicts the vortex profile and amplitude which perfectly agree with the numerical data.