Vortex flows as a research area focus on fluid motion characterized by rotational structures, including isolated vortices, vortex sheets, and complex turbulent vortical fields, in gases, liquids, or plasmas. Investigations address the generation, stability, interaction, and breakdown of vortices, as well as vortex-induced transport, mixing, and momentum/energy redistribution. The field combines theoretical fluid mechanics, numerical simulation (e.g., direct numerical simulation and large-eddy simulation), and experimentation to study phenomena such as coherent structures, vortex reconnection, and transition to turbulence, with applications in aerodynamics, propulsion, geophysical and astrophysical flows, and engineering systems where control or exploitation of vorticity is critical.
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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Researchers at University of Tsukuba used advanced techniques to visualize the water flow generated by flutter kicking during front-crawl swimming. They analyzed how this kicking motion generates propulsive force and contributes ...
Soft Matter
May 25, 2026
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16
Physicists at the University of Bayreuth have investigated the so-called Basset–Boussinesq history force acting on particles in fluids. Due to the difficulty of calculating it, this force is often neglected—a fact that Bayreuth ...
Soft Matter
May 19, 2026
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14
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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50
In the quirky quantum world, particles can be affected by forces that they never directly encounter. A classic example is the Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect, where electrons are affected by a magnetic field, despite not passing ...
Soft Matter
Apr 20, 2026
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540
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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Can light behave like a whirlwind? It turns out it can—and such "optical tornadoes" have now been created in an extremely small structure by scientists from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, the Military ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 27, 2026
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136
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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84
A new University of Mississippi study shows that some sound waves don't just move forward—they also move slightly to the side. Understanding this movement could help researchers develop more precise acoustic tools. Likun ...
General Physics
Mar 10, 2026
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43
The currents of the oceans, the roiling surface of the sun, and the clouds of smoke billowing off a forest fire—all are governed by the same laws of physics and give rise to a complex phenomenon known as turbulence. But precisely ...
General Physics
Feb 12, 2026
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