Turbulence as a research area investigates the physics, modeling, and prediction of highly irregular, vortical fluid motion characterized by strong nonlinearity, multiscale interactions, and enhanced mixing and dissipation. It encompasses theoretical analysis of the Navier–Stokes equations, development of turbulence closures and reduced-order models, and statistical descriptions such as energy spectra and intermittency. The field spans direct numerical simulations, large-eddy and Reynolds-averaged approaches, and experimental diagnostics to study transition to turbulence, coherent structures, and cascade processes in gases and liquids, with applications ranging from aerodynamics and geophysical and astrophysical flows to engineering systems, combustion, and environmental fluid mechanics.
Logically, you would think a sleek surface has optimal aerodynamics—but recent research at Tohoku University turns this fundamental principle on its head. Applying an irregular microscale surface texture reduced the aerodynamic ...
General Physics
Jul 22, 2026
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Whether the dust borne on the violent winds of a tornado or the sugar grains in a swirled cup of coffee, the behavior of particles carried along in turbulence is subject to some similarities—all of them difficult to predict ...
General Physics
May 26, 2026
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Dolphins are famous for their speed and agility in the water, but what exactly allows them to swim so effectively? Scientists have been asking this question for years, hoping to learn how to optimize propulsion in fluids ...
Soft Matter
Apr 27, 2026
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In his doctoral thesis, Michael Roop develops numerical methods that allow finding physically reliable approximate solutions to nonlinear differential equations used to model turbulence.
General Physics
Apr 16, 2026
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In a tank on the bottom floor of a University of Chicago research laboratory, scientists summon "The Blob" into existence by firing water jets to create an artfully choreographed series of rings.
General Physics
Apr 14, 2026
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With a new lab-based experiment, researchers in the UK and France have recreated the characteristic cascades of energy and angular momentum that underpin key features of Earth's atmosphere. Reporting in Physical Review Letters, ...
A fascination with fish gills has led researchers at Cornell to develop a bio-inspired approach to mixing heat and molecules in fluids—findings that could inform future biomedical devices, heat exchangers and soft robotics.
General Physics
Mar 24, 2026
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A new study revisits a century-old question about how turbulence starts. The findings could potentially influence not only aircraft engineering but even the design of mechanical heart valves, and treatment of heart disease. ...
Soft Matter
Mar 11, 2026
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85
A University of Ottawa team has developed a new way to protect free-space quantum key distribution (QKD) from atmospheric turbulence, one of the main causes of distortion and errors when sending quantum information through ...
Optics & Photonics
Feb 24, 2026
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19
By 2050, offshore wind power capacity in the North Sea is set to increase more than tenfold. Researchers at the Helmholtz Center Hereon have analyzed the long-term overall impact of this large number of wind farms on the ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 16, 2026
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