RUI: Fronts and Patterns in Advection-Reaction-Diffusion Systems

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Non-Technical AbstractFluid flows play a crucial role in the behavior of chemical, physical and biological systems. This DMR-RUI (Research at Undergraduate Institutions) grant funds experiments that will explore the importance of flows both on the movement of fronts (e.g., flame fronts, a growing solid, or a spreading disease in a moving population) and on the patterns that form in in reacting systems. The experiments will emphasize simple fluid flows that exhibit chaotic mixing. The ultimate goal of the research is to develop a general framework that can be used to describe and predict the behavior for a wide variety of reacting systems with fluid flows, including micro- and nano-scale chemical processing systems, biological processes in cells and developing embryos, and plasmas in fusion reactors. Undergraduate students will participate in all aspects of the research including experimental design, construction and testing of the apparatus, data-acquisition and analysis, and publication and conference presentation of the results. These will be the first real research experiences for the students involved in the project, and will play an important role in their growth as scientists.Technical AbstractThis DMR-RUI (Research at Undergraduate Institutions) project foucuses on experiments that investigate the effects of fluid mixing on fronts and patterns that form in reacting systems. This is an issue with applicability to a wide range of systems, including epidemiological and population dynamics, micro- and nano-scale chemical processes, biological processes in cells and developing embryos, solidification processes, and plasmas (e.g., in fusion reactors). The experiments will use both one-dimensional and two-dimensional cellular fluid flows that exhibit chaotic mixing, particularly those with superdiffusive transport characterized by Levy flights that connect distant parts of the system. Initial studies will use the well-known Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) system, a chemical reaction that has been shown to produce fronts and patterns similar to those in a wide range of systems. Studies will also be conducted to see if similar effects are found in flowing biological systems, such as slime mold cultures which display patterns similar to those in the BZ system. The research will be done in conjunction with undergraduate students who will participate in all aspects of the research including experimental design, construction and testing of the apparatus, data acquisition and analysis, and publication and conference presentation of the results. These will be the first real research experiences for the students involved in the project, and will play an important role in their development as scientists.