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.
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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11
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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132
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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82
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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42
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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40
Engineers have long battled a problem that can cause loud, damaging oscillations inside gas turbines and aircraft engines: combustion instability. These unwanted pressure fluctuations create vibrations so intense that they ...
General Physics
Jan 31, 2026
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31
Over the years, passing spacecraft have observed mystifying weather patterns at the poles of Jupiter and Saturn. The two planets host very different types of polar vortices, which are huge atmospheric whirlpools that rotate ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 19, 2026
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618
Step inside the strange world of a superfluid, a liquid that can flow endlessly without friction, defying the common-sense rules we experience every day, where water pours, syrup sticks and coffee swirls and slows under the ...
Soft Matter
Dec 23, 2025
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81
Tiny cavities in energy storage devices form small vortices that help with charging, according to a research team led by TU Darmstadt. This previously unknown phenomenon could advance the development of faster storage devices.
Nanophysics
Dec 9, 2025
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35
What looks like ordinary sand, rocks or snow flowing in one direction can actually hide swirling currents that move in multiple directions beneath the surface.
General Physics
Aug 30, 2025
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241
