lectures

All quiet on the turbulent front?

Imperial College

November 5

Lecture Theatre 200, City and Guilds Building

Event linkcalender

Join Professor Oliver Buxton to explore the mystery of turbulence, “the last unsolved problem in classical physics.” From the sharp edges of clouds to the wakes of wind turbines, discover how understanding turbulence interfaces can unlock new insights into nature and technology.

Please register to attend in person. A live stream link for online attendance is available here.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 5 November!

Abstract

Turbulence is ubiquitous and one of nature’s most important, and also beautiful, phenomena. It plays an important role in stars and clouds as well as the flows past aircraft, race cars, and wind turbines amongst many other applications. Despite this it is still classified as “the last unsolved problem in classical physics”.

Patches of turbulence, for example a cloud, usually have sharp interfaces at the edges that separate the turbulence from the background. Whilst we have developed robust theories to describe the interior turbulence, the physics at the edges remain elusive. These interfaces govern a broad variety of problems, such as how wind-turbine wakes grow and interact with other turbines in a farm, and the lifespan/precipitation potential of a cloud; two of the topics that will be discussed in this inaugural lecture.

Biography

Oliver Buxton is a professor of fluid mechanics in the Department of Aeronautics. He, and his team, have worked on trying to better understand the enigmas of turbulence for the past twelve years. In particular, he focuses on deploying cutting-edge laser diagnostics to turbulent flows in wind tunnels and water facilities. In his inaugural lecture he will introduce the complexities of turbulent interfaces and the progress that his team has made in understanding them.