Self-similar formation of the Kolmogorov spectrum in the Leith model of turbulence

Abstract: The last stage of evolution toward the stationary Kolmogorov spectrum of hydrodynamic turbulence is studied using the Leith model. This evolution is shown to manifest itself as a reflection wave in the wavenumber space propagating from the largest toward the smallest wavenumbers, and is described by a self-similar solution of a new (third) kind. This stage follows the previously studied stage of an initial explosive propagation of the spectral front from the smallest to the largest wavenumbers reaching arbitrarily large wavenumbers in a finite time, and which was described by a self-similar solution of the second kind. Nonstationary solutions corresponding to"warm cascades" characterised by a thermalised spectrum at large wavenumbers are also obtained.