BEYOND NAVIER-STOKES: MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF NON-EQUILIBRIUM GAS DYNAMICS

Being able to predict how fluids behave at high speeds or small scales is key to a diverse range of exciting future technologies: high Mach number, high altitude flight could transform global travel, while the ability of nano- and micro-devices to change our macro environment by manipulating it at the smallest scales holds the promise of a new industrial revolution. While these technologies seem, at first sight, unlikely partners, both require a deep understanding of fluid dynamics under extreme conditions / beyond that of current models. Our vision in this project is to provide this understanding by building a new dynamical model from the fundamental statistical mechanics of gas flows at the molecular level. The project will employ a postdoctoral research assistant and a PhD student, with modest travel and support costs, and our results will be disseminated through a one-day open meeting (comprising seminars and a workshop) to present and discuss UK research in non-equilibrium flows. This meeting will also act as a forum to discuss the future growth and direction of this research community.