Scaling of the interface that demarcates a turbulent boundary layer from the non-turbulent free stream is sought using theoretical reasoning and experimental evidence in a zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer. The data-analysis, utilising particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements at four different Reynolds numbers ( $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\delta u_{\tau }/\nu =1200\mbox{--}14\, 500$ ), indicates the presence of a viscosity dominated interface at all Reynolds numbers. It is found that the mean normal velocity across the interface and the tangential velocity jump scale with the skin-friction velocity $u_{\tau }$ and are approximately $u_{\tau }/10$ and $u_{\tau }$ , respectively. The width of the superlayer is characterised by the local vorticity thickness $\delta _{\omega }$ and scales with the viscous length scale $\nu /u_{\tau }$ . An order of magnitude analysis of the tangential momentum balance within the superlayer suggests that the turbulent motions also scale with inner velocity and length scales $u_{\tau }$ and $\nu /u_{\tau }$ , respectively. The influence of the wall on the dynamics in the superlayer is considered via Townsend’s similarity hypothesis, which can be extended to account for the viscous influence at the turbulent/non-turbulent interface. Similar to a turbulent far-wake the turbulent motions in the superlayer are of the same order as the mean velocity deficit, which lends to a physical explanation for the emergence of the wake profile in the outer part of the boundary layer.

The turbulent/non-turbulent interface in a zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer at high Reynolds number ( $\mathit{Re}_\tau =14\, 500$ ) is examined using particle image velocimetry. An experimental set-up is utilized that employs multiple high-resolution cameras to capture a large field of view that extends $2\delta \times 1.1\delta $ in the streamwise/wall-normal plane with an unprecedented dynamic range. The interface is detected using a criteria of local turbulent kinetic energy and proves to be an effective method for boundary layers. The presence of a turbulent/non-turbulent superlayer is corroborated by the presence of a jump for the conditionally averaged streamwise velocity across the interface. The steep change in velocity is accompanied by a discontinuity in vorticity and a sharp rise in the Reynolds shear stress. The conditional statistics at the interface are in quantitative agreement with the superlayer equations outlined by Reynolds (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 54, 1972, pp. 481–488). Further analysis introduces the mass flux as a physically relevant parameter that provides a direct quantitative insight into the entrainment. Consistency of this approach is first established via the equality of mean entrainment calculations obtained using three different methods, namely, conditional, instantaneous and mean equations of motion. By means of ‘mass-flux spectra’ it is shown that the boundary-layer entrainment is characterized by two distinctive length scales which appear to be associated with a two-stage entrainment process and have a substantial scale separation.