# The role of phase dynamics in a stochastic model of a passively advected scalar Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2016

Collective synchronous motion of the phases is introduced in a model for the stochastic passive advection-diffusion of a scalar with external forcing. The model for the phase coupling dynamics follows the well known Kuramoto model paradigm of limit-cycle oscillators. The natural frequencies in the Kuramoto model are assumed to obey a given scale dependence through a dispersion relation of the drift-wave form $\beta \frac{k}{1 + k^2}$ , where $\beta$ is a constant representing the typical strength of the gradient. The present aim is to study the importance of collective phase dynamics on the characteristic time evolution of the fluctuation energy and the formation of coherent structures. Our results show that the assumption of a fully stochastic phase state of turbulence is more relevant for high values of b, where we find that the energy spectrum follows a $k=7/2$ scaling. Whereas for lower b there is a significant difference between a-synchronised and synchronised phase states, one could expect the formation of coherent modulations in the latter case.

Kuramoto oscillators

stochastic models

Turbulence

## Författare

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

### Johan Anderson

Chalmers, Rymd- och geovetenskap, Plasmafysik och fusionsenergi

#### Physics of Plasmas

1070-664X (ISSN) 1089-7674 (eISSN)

Vol. 23 5 052310- 052310

### Ämneskategorier

Fysik

Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik

Energi

### Fundament

Grundläggande vetenskaper

### DOI

10.1063/1.4950831

2018-05-03