Giovanni Gallavotti
Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Rome Italy

Friction and reversibility in the Lorenz 96 Model

We construct different equivalent non-equilibrium statistical ensembles in a $N$-degrees of freedom model of atmospheric turbulence, introduced by Lorenz in 1996. The vector field can be decomposed into an energy-conserving, time-reversible part, plus a non-time reversible part, including forcing and dissipation. We construct a modified version of the model where viscosity varies with time, in such a way that energy is conserved, and the resulting dynamics is fully time-reversible. The purpose is to test conjectures on a theory of ensembles in non equilibrium statistical mechanics and turbulence as well as the chaotic hypothesis and the fluctuation relation. This leads to the proposal that using a model of a fluid where viscosity is kept constant is just one option, and not necessarily the only option, for describing accurately its statistical and dynamical properties.