Department of Physics and Applied Physics Guest Lecture: “Turbulence—the Last Frontier of Classical Physics”

Lecture delivered by Prasad Subramanian, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India

Abstract:
When someone sprays perfume at one end of a room and we smell it within seconds, we are experiencing turbulence in action. Or when we experience atmospheric turbulence during a flight! Turns our turbulence in fluid flows is the norm rather than the exception. This phenomenon has fascinated thinkers dating back to Leonardo da Vinci. We will outline basic elements of our current understanding of turbulence in fluids. We will then proceed to illustrate some manifestations of turbulence in space physics and discuss how much remains to be learnt.

About Prasad Subramanian:
As a professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India, Prasad Subramanian works on plasma astrophysics and space weather using a mix of data analysis and theoretical modeling. He is interested in the terrestrial effects of Earth-directed solar coronal mass ejections. Examples include geomagnetic storms, enhanced drag on Earth orbiting satellites and a host of other effects.