An update on the energy dissipation rate in isotropic turbulence

Direct numerical simulations of homogeneous turbulence in a periodic box are examined here to support the traditional expectation that the dissipation rate at high Reynolds numbers is independent of fluid viscosity, and is a constant of order unity when scaled on the integral scale and root-mean-square velocity. However, the numerical value of the constant appears to depend on details of forcing at low wavenumbers, or, perhaps, the structure of the large scale itself. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-6631(98)01002-2].