Anomalous self-similarity in a turbulent rapidly rotating fluid.

Our velocity measurements on quasi-two-dimensional turbulent flow in a rapidly rotating annulus yield self-similar (scale-independent) probability distribution functions for longitudinal velocity differences, deltav(l) = v(x+l)-v(x). These distribution functions are strongly non-Gaussian, suggesting that the coherent vortices play a significant role. The structure functions <[deltav(l)](p)> approximately l(zeta)p exhibit anomalous scaling: zeta(p) = p / 2 rather than the expected zeta(p) = p / 3. Correspondingly, the energy spectrum is described by E(k) approximately k(-2) rather than the expected E(k) approximately k(-5/3).