Fluid
Physics Track – Research Groups
The three research
groups that are involved in the Fluid Physics track are:
- the Physics of Fluids
group (PoF)
- the Physics of Complex
Fluids group (PCF)
- the Computational
Dispersion Rheology group (CDR).
The Physics of Fluids (PoF)
group works on a variety of aspects in fluid mechanics, in particular on those
related to bubbles. The focus of our work is the fundamental understanding the
phenomena of the physics of fluids, bubbles and jets, which we undertake by
experimental, numerical and theoretical means. The main research areas are Turbulence and
Two-phase Flow, Granular Flow, Micro- and Nanofluidics and Biomedical
Applications of Bubbles. The group has two unique experimental facilities: the
9-m vertical water channel to study turbulent bubbly flows and the Brandaris
digital ultra high-speed imaging facility. Physics of Fluids has many national
and international contacts, both in industry and in the academic world.
A liquid itself is
essentially characterized by two parameters: density and viscosity. In the Physics of Complex Fluids (PCF) group,
we are interested in situations that require a more detailed description of the
liquid itself. Such situations arise for instance when liquids are confined to
narrow pores: at some point the properties of the individual molecules begin to
show and the liquid ceases to behave as a continuum. Another example is the
fluids within our bodies. They are complex by virtue of their composites,
ranging from water molecules to proteins, to organelles, to entire cells.
Again, a description of these liquids requires a much closer look (and many
more parameters) than simple liquids. In the PCF group, we use various optical
microscopy techniques (including confocal laser scanning and high speed video
microscopy) as well as mechanical probes such as Atomic Force Microscopy and
the Surface Forces Apparatus to characterize the behavior of complex fluids
from the nano- to micrometer scale.
The research in the group Computational Biophysics (CBP) focuses on the relation between the
constitution of various matters and their rheological properties. Studies are performed
using simulation methods ranging from molecular dynamics simulation,