Transition to Turbulence

Fluid turbulence, and the transition from a laminar to a turbulent flow, 
is probably the most important unsolved problems in physics, more than a 
century after it was first discovered. The distinction between laminar and 
turbulent flows, and the characteristics of turbulent flows, will first be 
reviewed. This will be followed by a discussion about why fluid turbulence 
is difficult to understand, but also essential for life as we know it. The 
transition to turbulence due to hydrodynamic instabilities is well 
understood in some flows, such as rotating flow and fluids heated from 
below, and the routes to turbulence in these kinds of flows will be 
discussed. The transition is poorly understood in simple flows such as 
pipe flows; the reasons for these will be highlighted. Some of our work in 
understanding turbulence at small scales will be discussed. The talk will 
be at a basic level accessible to all. 

About Prof. V.Kumaran: 

Prof. V.Kumaran did his B.Tech. from IIT Madras (1987) and Ph.D. from 
Cornell University (1991) both in Chemical Engineering. Among the awards 
and honours he won are JC Bose National Fellowship (2007), Swarnajayanti 
Fellowship (2002), Bhatnagar Award (2000), Amar Dye-Chem Award (1999), 
Indian National Academy of Engineering Young Engineer Award (1997) and 
Indian National Science Academy Young Scientist Medal (1996). He is a 
fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering (2006), Indian National 
Science Academy (2001) and Indian Academy of Sciences (1998). Prof. 
Kumaran serves on the editorial boards of Soft Materials, Sadhana and 
Indian Journal of Chemical Technology as well as on the advisory Board of 
Acta Mechanica journals.