On the transfer of energy in Burgers’ model of turbulence

Summary

The distribution of energy transfer is examined for two given energy spectra: one corresponding to an exponential correlation function and the other a block spectrum. Due to the absence of a pressure term, it is found that Burgers’ equation does not lead to an algebraic behaviour of the correlation functions for large separations. It is also found that, in general, energy is transferred not only forward to higher wave numbers but also backwards to smaller wave numbers and, hence, that the usual cascade picture, in which energy flows in one direction only, may not be an exact one.