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This range lies above both the Kolmogorov length scale and the scalar diffusion cutoff, but below the forcing scale. Molecular viscosity and scalar diffusion have negligible direct influence on transfer at those scales. The Obukhov-Corrsin theory predicts a two-thirds scalar structure function there.

For scalar diffusivity much larger than kinematic viscosity, scalar diffusion dominates at lengths between the Kolmogorov and scalar cutoff scales. The velocity may still have inertial-range variations, but the scalar is smooth to leading order. The leading isotropic scalar structure function is quadratic, with coefficient fixed by the mean-square gradient and the scalar dissipation rate, rather than by a continuing inertial-convective two-thirds law.

Obukhov-Corrsin theory concerns transfer of scalar variance across scales in turbulent mixing. In the inertial-convective range, a constant scalar-variance flux and an eddy turnover time ${ϵ}^{-1/3}{r}^{2/3}$ predict the displayed second-order scalar structure function. It assumes a passive scalar, local transfer, approximate statistical equilibrium and separation from the molecular diffusion and forcing scales.

The three questions concern different statistics. Taylor turbulent dispersion follows the absolute displacement of one marked fluid element from its release position, or the spreading of the centre of a cloud. Its input is the velocity autocorrelation along a Lagrangian trajectory. It relates short-time ballistic motion to long-time effective diffusion. This is not the shear-flow mechanism ordinarily called Taylor dispersion.

Richardson pair dispersion instead follows the separation of two fluid elements, or the growth of a cloud relative to its moving centre. Common sweeping by an eddy much larger than the cloud contributes to absolute displacement but largely cancels from relative displacement. The relative diffusivity depends on separation; the classical inertial-range prediction is a $t^3$ mean-square separation regime after memory of the release separation is lost.

Obukhov-Corrsin theory, also called Kolmogorov-Obukhov-Corrsin theory, concerns spatial fluctuations of a passive scalar, their transfer across scales and their destruction by molecular diffusion. Its objects are scalar structure functions and scalar spectra, with an inertial-convective prediction controlled by scalar-variance flux and the turbulent energy supply. Thus Taylor describes one-particle transport, Richardson describes relative spreading, and Obukhov-Corrsin describes scale-by-scale scalar mixing. Following a cloud's location is not the same as predicting its internal concentration fluctuations.

Use $S_C(r)=⟨(C^{\prime }-C{)}^2⟩$ for the scalar structure function, and assume statistical homogeneity as well as isotropy. Expanding the square givesIf the zero-mean scalar decorrelates at large separation, thenThe decorrelation assumption is necessary: a spatially constant, zero-ensemble-mean random scalar is isotropic but has $S_C=0$ at every separation.

For the small-separation limit assume mean-square differentiability. Taylor expansion gives $C^{\prime }-C=r_i{\partial }_{i}C+o(r)$ in mean square. Isotropy implies $⟨{\partial }_{i}C{\partial }_{j}C⟩={\delta }_{ij}⟨|\nabla C{|}^2⟩/3$. Define the scalar dissipation rate in the half-variance convention, ${ϵ}_c=\alpha ⟨|\nabla C{|}^2⟩$, so that diffusion removes $⟨C^2/2⟩$ at rate ${ϵ}_c$. It follows thatIf dissipation is instead defined as the loss rate of the full variance, the coefficient must be adjusted by a factor of two.

In the inertial-convective scalar range, $\max (\eta ,{\eta }_c)\ll r\ll \ell$, suppose scalar variance cascades locally at an approximately constant flux ${ϵ}_c$, while velocity increments have the Kolmogorov 1941 theory turnover time $t_r\sim {ϵ}^{-1/3}{r}^{2/3}$. The variance associated with scale $r$ divided by that turnover time is of order its transfer rate, giving the Obukhov-Corrsin theory resultThe assumptions include a passive scalar, high Reynolds number, local transfer, adequate scale separation, and statistical equilibrium or sufficiently slow variation of the supply. Isotropy alone does not provide a constant scalar flux.

For weak scalar diffusion, $\alpha \ll \nu$, the velocity is smooth below $\eta$, with characteristic strain rate $s\sim (ϵ/\nu {)}^{1/2}$. Diffusion rate $\alpha /r^2$ balances this at the Batchelor scalar microscaleIn the viscous-convective scalar range, the derivative of $S_C$ is assumed to depend only on ${ϵ}_c$, $s$ and $r$. Their dimensions forceIntegration from the diffusion cutoff givesThus, well within a broad logarithmic range,The additive matching contribution is not exactly zero; the formula is a leading range estimate, not a boundary condition at $r={\eta }_c$. Using $d{S}_C/dr$ isolates the contribution acquired on changing separation. The structure function itself contains scalar variance accumulated from smaller scales and must retain the inner cutoff through its integration constant. If one assumed that $S_C$ depended only on ${ϵ}_c,s,r$ without that cutoff, dimensional analysis would incorrectly give an $r$-independent value proportional to ${ϵ}_c/s$. This explains the use of the derivative with respect to $r$; the TeX aid changes that derivative to $t$ in its final sentence, but the original PDF consistently uses $r$.

Finally let $\alpha \gg \nu$. Balancing diffusion with the inertial eddy rate gives the Corrsin scalar microscale ${\eta }_c={\eta }_C\sim ({\alpha }^3/ϵ{)}^{1/4}\gg \eta$. For $\eta \ll r\ll {\eta }_c$, diffusion is faster than the eddy turnover rate. The scalar is smooth to leading order on those separations, even though the velocity still has inertial-range fluctuations. The inertial-diffusive scalar range therefore hasThis continues the scalar's leading gradient-controlled quadratic behaviour; it is not a continuation of the inertial-convective two-thirds law below its diffusion cutoff.

With this half-variance convention, the unforced scalar equation gives $d⟨C^2/2⟩/dt=-{ϵ}_c$ in a homogeneous incompressible flow. Authors defining dissipation of the full variance instead use $2\alpha ⟨|\nabla C{|}^2⟩$. Stating the convention is necessary when relating the dissipation rate to a scalar structure function.