Lecturer: Prof. Bernhard Mehlig
Affiliation: Physics Department,
The University of Gothenburg
Abstract:
Heavy particles suspended in an
incompressible randomly mixing or turbulent
flow form a ‘turbulent aerosol’. When the
inertia of the particles is significant then the
particles respond in intricate ways to the
turbulent fluctuations of the carrying fluid:
independent particles may cluster together
and form spatial patterns even though the
fluid is incompressible, and the relative
speeds of nearby particles may fluctuate
strongly. Both phenomena depend sensitively
on the inertia of the particles, affect collision
rates and collision outcomes, and thus the
long-term fate of the turbulent aerosol. In
recent years it has become clear that
important aspects of the dynamics of
turbulent aerosols can be understood in
terms of statistical models. In this talk I
describe how statistical-model calculations
have led to a detailed understanding of the
mechanisms that determine inertial-particle
dynamics in turbulent aerosols.