Effect of particle inertia on the viscous-convective subrange

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Abstract
The spectral scaling of inertial particles in isotropic, homogeneous turbulence is investigated. The particle density spectrum of the Elperin-Kleeorin-Rogachevskii small-scale correlation function [Phys. Rev. E 58, 3113 (1998)] is derived and extended to larger scales. In the scale range (13–60)η, a peak in the spectrum is observed when the ratio of the energies in the compressible and the incompressible components of the particle’s velocity is greater than 0.007 (Stokes number >0.15). The peak is a manifestation of the accumulation of inertial particles in regions of high strain and low vorticity. The size and location of the peak are compared qualitatively with measurements of particle intermittency (preferential concentration) from direct numerical simulations.