Mon, 04 Mar 2019

16:00 - 17:00
L4

Concentrations of solutions to compressible Navier-Stokes equations

Pavel Plotnikov
(Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics)
Abstract

This work is devoted to the study of the following boundary value problem for compressible Navier-Stokes equationst(ϱu)+div(ϱuu)+p(ρ)=divS(u)+ϱf in Ω×(0,T),tϱ+div(ϱu)=0 in Ω×(0,T),u=0 on Ω×(0,T),u(x,0)=u0(x) in Ω,ϱ(x,0)=ϱ0(x) in Ω, where Ω is a bounded domain in Rd, d=2,3, ϱ0>0, u0, f are given functions, p(ϱ)=ϱγ, S(u)=μ(u+u)+λdiv uμ,λ are positive constants. We consider the endpoint cases γ=3/2, d=3 and γ=1, d=2, when the energy estimate does not guarantee the integrability of the kinetic energy density with an exponent greater than 1, which leads to the so-called concentration problem. In order to cope with this difficulty we develop new approach to the problem. Our method is based on the estimates of the Newton potential of p(ϱ). We prove that the kinetic energy density in 3-dimensional problem with γ=3/2 is bounded in LlogLα Orlitz space and obtain new estimates for the pressure function. In the case d=2 and γ=1 we prove the existence of the weak solution to the problem. We also discuss the structure of concentrations for rotationally-symmetric and stationary solutions.

Mon, 25 Feb 2019

16:00 - 17:00
L4

Diffeomorphic Approximation of W^{1,1} Planar Sobolev Homeomorphisms

Stanislav Hencl
(Charles University in Prague)
Abstract

Let ΩR2 be a domain and let fW1,1(Ω,R2) be a homeomorphism (between Ω and f(Ω)). Then there exists a sequence of smooth diffeomorphisms fk converging to f in W1,1(Ω,R2) and uniformly. This is a joint result with A. Pratelli.
 

Mon, 18 Feb 2019

16:00 - 17:00
L4

Hypoelliptic Laplacian, Brownian motion and the trace formula

Jean-Michel Bismut
(Universite Paris-Sud)
Abstract

The hypoelliptic Laplacian is a family of operators indexed by bR+, acting on the total space of the tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold, that interpolates between the ordinary Laplacian as b0 and the generator of the geodesic flow as b+. These operators are not elliptic, they are not self-adjoint, they are hypoelliptic. One can think of the total space of the tangent bundle as the phase space of classical mechanics; so that the hypoelliptic Laplacian produces an interpolation between the geodesic flow and its quantisation. There is a dynamical counterpart, which is a natural interpolation between classical Brownian motion and the geodesic flow.

The hypoelliptic deformation preserves subtle invariants of the Laplacian. In the case of locally symmetric spaces (which are defined via Lie groups), the deformation is essentially isospectral, and leads to geometric formulas for orbital integrals, a key ingredient in Selberg's trace formula.

In a first part of the talk, I will describe the geometric construction of the hypoelliptic Laplacian in the context of de Rham theory. In a second part, I will explain applications to the trace formula.

 

Mon, 04 Feb 2019

16:00 - 17:00
L4

Ginzburg–Landau functionals with a general compact vacuum manifold on planar domains

Jean Van Schaftingen
(Universite catholique de louvain)
Abstract

Ginzburg–Landau type functionals provide a relaxation scheme to construct harmonic maps in the presence of topological obstructions. They arise in superconductivity models, in liquid crystal models (Landau–de Gennes functional) and in the generation of cross-fields in meshing. For a general compact manifold target space we describe the asymptotic number, type and location of singularities that arise in minimizers. We cover in particular the case where the fundamental group of the vacuum manifold in nonabelian and hence the singularities cannot be characterized univocally as elements of the fundamental group. The results unify the existing theory and cover new situations and problems.

This is a joint work with Antonin Monteil and Rémy Rodiac (UCLouvain, Louvain- la-Neuve, Belgium)

Mon, 14 Jan 2019

16:00 - 17:00
L4

On boundary value problem for steady Navier-Stokes system in 2D exterior domains

Mikhail Korobkov
(Fudan University)
Abstract

We study solutions to stationary Navier-Stokes system in two dimensional exterior domains, namely, existence of these solutions and their asymptotical behavior. The talk is based on the recent joint papers with K. Pileckas and R. Russo where the uniform boundedness and uniform convergence at infinity for arbitrary solution with finite Dirichlet integral were established. Here  no restrictions on smallness of fluxes are assumed, etc.  In the proofs we develop the ideas of the classical papers of Gilbarg & H.F. Weinberger (Ann. Scuola Norm.Pisa 1978) and Amick (Acta Math. 1988).

Thu, 07 Mar 2019

16:00 - 17:30
L3

Acoustic and hyperelastic metamaterials – stretching the truth?

Professor William J Parnell
(University of Manchester)
Abstract

Transformation theory has long been known to be a mechanism for 
the design of metamaterials. It gives rise to the required properties of the 
material in order to direct waves in the manner desired.  This talk will 
focus on the mathematical theory underpinning the design of acoustic and 
elastodynamic metamaterials based on transformation theory and aspects of 
the experimental confirmation of these designs. In the acoustics context it 
is well-known that the governing equations are transformation invariant and 
therefore a whole range of microstructural options are available for design, 
although designing materials that can harness incoming acoustic energy in 
air is difficult due to the usual sharp impedance contrast between air and 
the metamaterial in question. In the elastodynamic context matters become 
even worse in the sense that the governing equations are not transformation 
invariant and therefore we generally require a whole new class of materials.

In the acoustics context we will describe a new microstructure that consists 
of rigid rods that is (i) closely impedance matched to air and (ii) slows 
down sound in air. This is shown to be useful in a number of configurations 
and in particular it can be employed to half the resonant frequency of the 
standard quarter-wavelength resonator (or alternatively it can half the size 
of the resonator for a specified resonant frequency) [1].

In the elastodynamics context we will show that although the equations are 
not transformation invariant one can employ the theory of waves in 
pre-stressed hyperelastic materials in order to create natural elastodynamic 
metamaterials whose inhomogeneous anisotropic material properties are 
generated naturally by an appropriate pre-stress. In particular it is shown 
that a certain class of hyperelastic materials exhibit this so-called 
“invariance property” permitting the creation of e.g. hyperelastic cloaks 
[2,3] and invariant metamaterials. This has significant consequences for the 
design of e.g. phononic media: it is a well-known and frequently exploited 
fact that pre-stress and large deformation of hyperelastic materials 
modifies the linear elastic wave speed in the deformed medium. In the 
context of periodic materials this renders materials whose dynamic 
properties are “tunable” under pre-stress and in particular this permits 
tunable band gaps in periodic media [4]. However the invariant hyperelastic 
materials described above can be employed in order to design a class of 
phononic media whose band-gaps are invariant to deformation [5]. We also 
describe the concept of an elastodynamic ground cloak created via pre-stress 
[6].

[1] Rowley, W.D., Parnell, W.J., Abrahams, I.D., Voisey, S.R. and Etaix, N. 
(2018) “Deepening subwavelength acoustic resonance via metamaterials with 
universal broadband elliptical microstructure”. Applied Physics Letters 112, 
251902.
[2] Parnell, W.J. (2012) “Nonlinear pre-stress for cloaking from antiplane 
elastic waves”. Proc Roy Soc A 468 (2138) 563-580.
[3] Norris, A.N. and Parnell, W.J. (2012) “Hyperelastic cloaking theory: 
transformation elasticity with pre-stressed solids”. Proc Roy Soc A 468 
(2146) 2881-2903
[4] Bertoldi, K. and Boyce, M.C. (2008)  “Mechanically triggered 
transformations of phononic band gaps in periodic elastomeric structures”. 
Phys Rev B 77, 052105.
[5] Zhang, P. and Parnell, W.J. (2017) “Soft phononic crystals with 
deformation-independent band gaps” Proc Roy Soc A 473, 20160865.
[6] Zhang, P. and Parnell, W.J. (2018) “Hyperelastic antiplane ground 
cloaking” J Acoust Soc America 143 (5)

Thu, 07 Mar 2019

14:00 - 15:00
L4

Flexible computational abstractions for complex preconditioners

Dr Lawrence Mitchell
(Durham University)
Abstract

Small block overlapping, and non-overlapping, Schwarz methods are theoretically highly attractive as multilevel smoothers for a wide variety of problems that are not amenable to point relaxation methods.  Examples include monolithic Vanka smoothers for Stokes, overlapping vertex-patch decompositions for H(div) and  H(curl) problems, along with nearly incompressible elasticity, and augmented Lagrangian schemes.

 While it is possible to manually program these different schemes,  their use in general purpose libraries has been held back by a lack   of generic, composable interfaces. We present a new approach to the   specification and development such additive Schwarz methods in PETSc  that cleanly separates the topological space decomposition from the  discretisation and assembly of the equations. Our preconditioner is  flexible enough to support overlapping and non-overlapping additive  Schwarz methods, and can be used to formulate line, and plane smoothers, Vanka iterations, amongst others. I will illustrate these new features with some examples utilising the Firedrake finite element library, in particular how the design of an approriate computational interface enables these schemes to be used as building blocks inside block preconditioners.

This is joint work with Patrick Farrell and Florian Wechsung (Oxford), and Matt Knepley (Buffalo).

Thu, 21 Feb 2019

14:00 - 15:00
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, nr Didcot

Tomographic imaging with flat-field uncertainty

Prof Martin Skovgaard Andersen
(Danish Technical University)
Abstract

Classical methods for X-ray computed tomography (CT) are based on the assumption that the X-ray source intensity is known. In practice, however, the intensity is measured and hence uncertain. Under normal circumstances, when the exposure time is sufficiently high, this kind of uncertainty typically has a negligible effect on the reconstruction quality. However, in time- or dose-limited applications such as dynamic CT, this uncertainty may cause severe and systematic artifacts known as ring artifacts.
By modeling the measurement process and by taking uncertainties into account, it is possible to derive a convex reconstruction model that leads to improved reconstructions when the signal-to-noise ratio is low. We discuss some computational challenges associated with the model and illustrate its merits with some numerical examples based on simulated and real data.

Thu, 20 Jun 2019

16:00 - 17:30
L3

Levitating drops in Leidenfrost state

Dr. Benjamin Sobac
(Universite Libre de Bruxelles)
Abstract

When a liquid drop is deposited over a solid surface whose temperature is sufficiently above the boiling point of the liquid, the drop does not experience nucleate boiling but rather levitates over a thin layer of its own vapor. This is known as the Leidenfrost effect. Whilst highly undesirable in certain cooling applications, because of a drastic decrease of the energy transferred between the solid and the evaporating liquid due to poor heat conductivity of the vapor, this effect can be of great interest in many other processes profiting from this absence of contact with the surface that considerably reduces the friction and confers an extreme mobility on the drop. During this presentation, I hope to provide a good vision of some of the knowledge on this subject through some recent studies that we have done. First, I will present a simple fitting-parameter-free theory of the Leidenfrost effect, successfully validated with experiments, covering the full range of stable shapes, i.e., from small quasi-spherical droplets to larger puddles floating on a pocketlike vapor film. Then, I will discuss the end of life of these drops that appear either to explode or to take-off. Finally, I will show that the Leidenfrost effect can also be observed over hot baths of non-volatile liquids. The understanding of the latter situation, compare to the classical Leidenfrost effect on solid substrate, provides new insights on the phenomenon, whether it concerns levitation or its threshold.

Subscribe to