On the relevance of the potential-difference method for turbulence measurements

Abstract

Precise theoretical relations between statistical characteristics of turbulent velocity and an electrical field are found for homogeneous and isotropic turbulence in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. These include turbulence intensities, correlations and spectra and relations allowing estimation of the degree of anisotropy of a turbulent flow. The theoretical results are verified by experiments with flow of very dilute salted water past a grid in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. The theoretical and the experimental results are in good agreement. Preliminary results of vorticity measurements are also presented.