Vortex dynamics in wall-bounded geometries

Vortical motions in turbulent flows affect our daily life in many different ways.

For example, we live within the atmosphere, where turbulent motions facilitate the mixing of pollutants, contributing to sustainable air quality at ground level. On the other hand, these vortices are crucial during the landing and take-off phases, affecting aircraft safety.

In this project, we will explore the interaction of these vortices with a solid wall using innovative highly accurate adaptive numerical simulations. To achieve this, we plan to establish a unique scientific consortium that includes Prof. Win van Rees, a recognised expert in vortex dynamics at MIT, and a local host at KTH, Prof.

Philipp Schlatter, an expert in numerical simulations of wall-bounded turbulent flows.

I intend to spend the first two years at MIT to deepen my knowledge of vortex dynamics, followed by the last year at KTH to finalise the data analysis. Additionally, Prof. Fazle Hussain, a pioneer in coherent structures, and Prof. Jie Yao, an expert in vortex reconnection, will collaborate.

We aim to investigate helicity and enstrophy dynamics in wall-bounded vortical motions by conducting numerical experiments capturing the tiniest braids and reconnections.

Extracting coherent and causal patterns, by using vortex criteria and causality metrics arising from information theory, will enhance our understanding, relevant to all the previously mentioned applications.