The main objective of the present study is to examine the characteristics of the vortical structures in a turbulent far wake using the wavelet multiresolution technique by decomposing the vorticity into a number of orthogonal wavelet components based on different central frequencies. The three vorticity components were measured simultaneously using an eight-wire probe at three Reynolds numbers, namely 2000, 4000, and 6000. It is found that the dominant contributions to the vorticity variances are from the intermediate and relatively small-scale structures. The contributions from the large and intermediate-scale structures to the vorticity variances decrease with the increase of Reynolds number. The contributions from the small-scale structures to all three vorticity variances jump significantly when Reynolds number is changed from 2000 to 4000, which is connected to previous observations in the near wake that there is a significant increase in the generation of small-scale structures once the Reynolds number reaches about 5000. This result reinforces the conception that turbulence “remembers” its origin.

• Received 25 July 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.73.036307