Researchers crack an enduring physics enigma

Science Daily  May 28, 2019
The equations used to describe the large variety of phenomena occurring in fluid flows are well known. But when turbulence comes into play, the solutions to the equations become non-linear, complex and chaotic. This makes it impossible, for example, to predict weather over an extended time horizon. Yet turbulence has a surprising tendency to move from chaos to a highly structured pattern of turbulent and laminar bands. Until now, researchers didn’t have powerful enough mathematical tools to verify this. Researchers in Switzerland combined dynamical systems theory, with existing theories on pattern formation in fluids and advanced numerical simulations. They calculated specific equilibrium solutions for each step of the process, enabling them to explain the transition from the chaotic to the structured state…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE