Statistical physics of complex systems

Turbulent aerosols are highly non-linear, complex systems.

The major difficulty in understanding their dynamics is to describe how the particles sample the turbulent fluctuations. New experimental techniques have recently made it possible to track microscopic particles in turbulent air. But ab-initio numerical simulation of such systems is still immensely challenging.

We have therefore developed idealised statistical models of turbulent aerosols that capture the essential physics of how turbulence affects the aerosol particles. This model can be rigorously analysed using statistical-physics methods.

This approach has allowed us to identify the key parameters and mechanisms shaping the stochastic particle dynamics in dilute turbulent aerosols, where the particles move independently of each other in the given background flow.

Our goal is now to build on this knowledge to understand what happens when the particles come closer and begin to interact with each other.

This proposal outlines how we will systematically analyse the particle dynamics by perturbation theory around the dilute limit, and how to develop and analyse statistical models for the interaction of evaporating droplets with water vapour transported by the turbulent air.

We will collaborate with experimentalists and experts in numerical simulation to identify and explain the effect of interactions in their data, which would be a breakthrough in the understanding of turbulent aerosols.