2010/01/19 by G. Boffetta, A. Mazzino, S. Musacchio +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #nlin.CD #physics.flu-dyn
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.104.184501
4 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2010/01/19 · arxiv updated 2015/05/18
We study the effects of polymer additives on turbulence generated by the ubiquitous Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Numerical simulations of complete viscoelastic models provide clear evidence that the heat transport is enhanced up to 50% with respect to the Newtonian case. This phenomenon is accompanied by a speed up of the mixing layer growth. We give a phenomenological interpretation of these results based on small-scale turbulent reduction induced by polymers.