In chaos theory and fluid dynamics, chaotic mixing is a process by which flow tracers develop into complex fractals under the action of a fluid flow. The flow is characterized by an exponential growth of fluid filaments.[1][2] Even very simple flows, such as the blinking vortex, or finitely resolved wind fields can generate exceptionally complex patterns from initially simple tracer fields.[3]
The phenomenon is still not well understood and is the subject of much current research.
- ^ J. M. Ottino (1989). The Kinematics of Mixing: Stretching, Chaos and Transport. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Aref, Hassan; Blake, John R.; Budišić, Marko; Cardoso, Silvana S. S.; Cartwright, Julyan H. E.; Clercx, Herman J. H.; El Omari, Kamal; Feudel, Ulrike; Golestanian, Ramin (2017-06-14). "Frontiers of chaotic advection". Reviews of Modern Physics. 89 (2): 025007. arXiv:1403.2953. Bibcode:2017RvMP...89b5007A. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.89.025007. S2CID 117496075.
- ^ J. Methven and B. Hoskins (1999). "The advection of high-resolution tracers by low-resolution winds". Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. 56 (18): 3262–3285. Bibcode:1999JAtS...56.3262M. doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1999)056<3262:taohrt>2.0.co;2.