Current Research
Hydrodynamic Quantum Analogues
A central focus of my work at MIT is the investigation of hydrodynamic quantum analogues, and particularly the "walking" oil droplet system of Couder and Fort. These walking droplets exhibit a wide variety of quantum-like features: stable spin states and quantised orbits, Bohm-like "surreal trajectories", and Fraunhofer-like diffraction patterns, among others.
My work lies on the theoretical end of this project; though these droplets exhibit qualitative similarities to quantum mechanics, they often fall short in achieving quantitative agreement. Through analytical and numerical approaches, I am investigating which quantum phenomena can be closely approximated with techniques of classical field theory.
Stratified Turbulence
Many key fluid flows in nature—including the atmosphere and the deep ocean—are stratified, meaning that their density varies significantly in the vertical direction. However, stratified turbulence gives rise to a separation of scales that precludes traditional methods of simulation, and so large-scale, accurate models of these flows remain outside our reach, even with current technology.
However, Chini et al. recently developed a "multi-timescale quasi-linear" (MTQL) algorithm to model such flows in the stratified limit; MTQL reduces and splits the Boussinesq system into a mean and fluctuating flow, drastically reducing the computation time needed to model a stratified flow. In my Master's dissertation at Cambridge—and in ongoing work—I have developed an improved, "non-linear cascading quasi-linear" (NCQL) approach to model these flows. Using weakly nonlinear theory, NCQL directly models the forward energy cascade of stratified flows, achieving significant improvements over MTQL in the moderately and highly stratified regimes (pictured above).
