Direct observation of the intermittency of intense vorticity filaments in turbulence

Cavitation in a liquid seeded with bubbles is used as a new visualization technique to single out the regions of very low pressure of a fully developed turbulent flow. By this means, the sudden appearance of high vorticity filaments is observed. These structures are very thin and short lived and display a high degree of temporal as well as spatial intermittency. They contribute to the flow organization: In particular their disintegration corresponds to the formation of large eddies.