October 2017

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR  RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS FOR POST-GRADUATE INTERNATIONAL CANDIDATES "Network-based approach to fluid flow systems".

The grant lasts 8 months, beginning 1st March, 2018.

Application deadline: November 16, 2017.

Call and details for applications: http://dottorato.polito.it/en/research_scholarships

 

Description of the research activity

The Research Project aims at applying the complex network theory to the turbulent flows dynamics, a subject of great fluid mechanical interest. By combining graph theory and statistical physics, complex networks provide a powerful tool to investigate the structure and function of complex systems with a large number of interacting elements. The versatility of complex networks [1] made their application suitable to analyze a wide range of phenomena from nature to economy, from engineering to society [2]. Beside these well-established applications, growing attention nowadays involves climate dynamics and fluid flows [3-5].

A network-based approach to the turbulence dynamics has strongly interdisciplinary features, and is proposed as an innovative and alternative path to the classical statistical analyses (e.g., energy spectra, two-point correlations, …), which are commonly adopted to characterize turbulent fields. In fact, although turbulence is present in several natural phenomena (pollutant transport and atmospheric currents) and engineering applications (from aerodynamics to chemical reactors), and has being studied for decades, there are still important unsolved issues regarding its characterization, prediction and control.

Direct numerical simulations as well as laboratory experimental data will be processed, also in view of environmental fluid mechanics applications (e.g., boundary layer meteorology, air pollution, …). The overall and main objective is to enrich and synthetize the spatial characterization and the basic knowledge of the physical mechanisms underlying the turbulence dynamics.

[1] Albert R et al., Rev Mod Phys 74: 47–97, 2002.

[2] Costa LD et al., Adv Phys 60: 329–412, 2011.

[3] Scarsoglio S et al., PLoS ONE 8 (8): e71129, 2013.

[4] Donner RV et al., Chaos 27: 035601, 2017.

[5] Scarsoglio S et al., Int. J. Bifurcat. Chaos 26: 1650223, 2016.

 

Specific requirements

- Good knowledge of programming languages (e.g., Matlab, Fortran, Mathematica, C, C ++, ...)

- Fundamentals of statistical physics and fluid mechanics

- Interest in interdisciplinary research approaches

- Basic knowledge of parallel computing techniques

 

Download

Download the call summary and the research description.

 

Contact

Prof. Stefania Scarsoglio (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)