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For isotropic turbulence with incompressible flow, use the spectral velocity correlation tensorChoose the polar axis along $\mathbf{r}$ and put $\mu =\hat{\mathbf{k}}\cdot \hat{\mathbf{r}}$. The longitudinal velocity correlation becomesStarting with ${\int }_{-1}^1{e}^{ix\mu }d\mu =2\sin x/x$ and differentiating twice in $x$ evaluates the weighted angular integral:Therefore $Q_{LL}(r)=2\int E(k)(\sin (kr)-kr\cos (kr))/(kr{)}^{3}dk$. At zero separation $Q_{LL}(0)=(2/3)\int E(k)dk$. Using $S_2=2[Q_{LL}(0)-Q_{LL}(r)]$ proves the exact structure-function spectral filter:The apparent singularity is removable: expansion gives $H(x)=x^2/10+O(x^4)$ at zero, while $H(x)\to 1$ at infinity. Substitute the given approximate filter and split the integral at $k_c=\pi /r$. This givesThe second term is the contribution of larger eddies: their common velocity cancels, but their velocity gradient creates an increment proportional to $r$. Their squared gradient contributes the $k^2$ weight. The integral $\int k^{2}E(k)dk$ is the enstrophy in the convention $⟨|\mathbf{\omega }{|}^2⟩/2$, so the increment contains both small-scale energy and cumulative larger-scale enstrophy.

This makes the longitudinal structure function a poor diagnostic of a finite inertial range. With a limited range of $k^{-5/3}$ spectrum, the two integrals retain outer-scale and dissipation-scale contributions, leading schematically to a mixture $a_0+a_2{r}^2+a_{2/3}{r}^{2/3}$. The local logarithmic slope need not then equal $2/3$, even if the spectral inertial interval exhibits a clearer $-5/3$ slope. This finite-range effect was demonstrated in Davidson and Krogstad's 2008 controlled-field study. It challenges interpreting $S_2(r)$ as energy exclusively at scale $r$; it does not refute the formal infinite-inertial-range two-thirds law, since inserting an ideal $k^{-5/3}$ spectrum into the exact transform does produce $r^{2/3}$ scaling.

The first similarity hypothesis of Kolmogorov 1941 theory states that at sufficiently large Reynolds number, the small-scale statistics in the equilibrium range are locally universal and determined by the mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate $ϵ$ and kinematic viscosity $\nu$, together with the separation or wavenumber being measured. Large-scale forcing details are excluded only at scales well below the integral scale of turbulence.

These parameters define the Kolmogorov microscalesDimensional analysis gives universal functions $F$ and $G$ withThe dimensional factors follow because $S_2$ has units of velocity squared, whereas $E$ has units of velocity squared times length. The universal equilibrium forms include viscous effects; they do not impose a power law through the dissipation range.

The second similarity hypothesis asserts independence of kinematic viscosity at scales large compared with $\eta$ but still small compared with the integral scale. In this inertial range, $S_2$ can depend only on $ϵ$ and $r$. Balancing time and length dimensions forces powers $2/3$ and $2/3$. The same calculation for $E$, using $k$ instead of $r$, forces powers $2/3$ and $-5/3$. HenceThe constants $C_2$ and $C_K$ are universal within the hypotheses and the stated normalization. They are related by the exact structure-function spectral filter, rather than by assigning all energy to one sharp scale.