Published: Sept. 4, 2015

Dispersive Hydrodynamics of Viscous Fluid Conduits --or-- The Superfluidity of Corn Syrup

Mark Hoefer

Applied MathematicsUniversity of Colorado Boulder

Date and time: 

Friday, September 4, 2015 - 3:00pm

Location: 

ECCR 245

Abstract: 

A superfluid is a state of matter that exhibits fluid motion without viscosity or entropy.  Essential features of superfluids are nonlinear self-steepening and wave dispersion absent dissipation, the competition of which can lead to novel coherent structures. Mathematical models capturing the key properties of superfluid-like media include hyperbolic systems of equations regularized by higher order dispersive terms.  An example of superfluidity, first created here at CU, is the Bose-Einstein condensate, whose subsequent study has yielded remarkable observations of the wave properties of matter including vortices, solitons, and dispersive shock waves (DSWs). A wholly different, and perhaps counterintuitive, medium that exhibits the essential properties of a superfluid is the interface between two high contrast viscous liquids, one rising buoyantly within the other.  This talk will present the modeling, analysis, and experimental observation of the effective one-dimensional superfluidity of dyed, diluted corn syrup injected into pure corn syrup.  This rich and versatile system exhibits solitons, DSWs (coherent, spatially extended nonlinear oscillations), and the potential for a soliton gas (incoherent, large collection of interacting solitons).

 

The experiments are performed in CU Applied Math Department's Dispersive Hydrodynamics Laboratory, located in Duane C226, enabled by a unique collaboration with Physics and the College of Arts and Sciences.  This talk is meant to introduce the Lab to the department and wider University community.  Refreshments and an open house in Duane C226 (2nd floor, Westernmost end of the Physics building) will take place at 4pm following the talk.