Research Projects

This funded project aims to improve our understanding of the instability transition in viscoelastic jets, a topic of interest in various scientific disciplines and emerging applications. Liquid jets, defined as streams propelled into a medium through a nozzle, are unstable and breakup into droplets due to the Rayleigh-Plateau instability. This instability transition is characterized by absolute or convectively unstable disturbances. To develop an understanding of this transition, the project requires advancements in tools to investigate flow-instability evolution, strategies to reveal the relationship between flow and material parameters leading to flow-instability, and mathematical analysis for long-term, asymptotic prediction. The long-term objective is to develop, analyze, and disseminate these tools to answer critical questions on the transition to instability in viscoelastic liquids. The investigation is guided by two questions: determining the linear spatiotemporal, time asymptotic response of the flow at critical material parameters and the corresponding response when flow nonlinearities are included. Answers to these questions could have significant impacts in fields such as hydraulic fracturing, polymer blend processing, airlift bioreactor development, medical imaging, and ultrasounds. The project also plans to integrate teaching and research with local classrooms in IIIT Delhi and a broader audience through collaborative technologies.