Deconstructing turbulence

via FutureFeeder-

Richard Feynman once called turbulence the most important unsolved problem in classical physics - so it's notable that MIT researchers are making some headway in understanding its underlying structure.  They tracked the motion of minuscule particles in a turbulent fluid using lasers, high definition cameras, and software to follow the particles over small increments of time.

MIT researchers report that they have visualized for the first time a convoluted tangle underlying turbulence. This work may ultimately help engineers design better planes, cars, submarines and engines.
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The researchers identified a complex network of two types of curves formed by two distinct groups of particles. The first type of curve, which the researchers colored red, attracts other fluid particles. At the same time, the second type, colored blue, repels other fluid particles. Both sets of curves evolve with the flow.
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The MIT researchers call their discovery the "Lagrangian skeleton" of turbulence because their particle-based approach is motivated by the work of 19th-century mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange. "Lagrange developed mathematical tools still used today for calculating mechanical and fluid motion," said Peacock.