Complex Fluids Dynamics
The research proposed by the group of Complex Systems is focused on the problem of Particles and Fields transported by –and reacting with– turbulent and complex flows. We want to understand the behavior of the flow once seeded with polymers, surfactants, bubbles, with reactive quantities, as in combustion, or with active scalars like Rayleigh-Benard convection, to cite just a few. We want to understand the behaviour of the flow in micro- and nano-scale with and without movable objects. These are real problems prompting interesting questions for theoretical physics. A number of aspects of the problems of particle dispersion, drag-reduction and passive/reactive/active advection by turbulent flows have been addressed before in the geophysical, astrophysical and engineering communities.
The objective of this research effort is to focus on these problems with the methods developed in the context of fundamental theoretical research. In the past, the group has been active on problems connected to Eulerian and Lagrangian turbulence, theory and numerics of kinetic models, dynamics of populations in complex flows. Recent achievements concern turbulent helical flows, flows under Fractal Fourier decimation, rheology of micro emulsions and foams, droplet formation in non-Newtonian flows. The group at Tor Vergata is made of 3 Full Professors, 1 Associate Professor, 6 Post-docs and 5 PhD Students.