Celebrating the physics of all that flows with Nicole Sharp, Ph.D.
- Profile
Supernova Core Collapse
A core-collapse, or Type II, supernova occurs in massive stars when they can no longer sustain fusion. For most of their lives, stars produce energy by fusing hydrogen into helium. Eventually, the hydrogen runs out and the core contracts until it reaches temperatures hot enough to cause the helium to fuse into carbon. This process…
Freshwater Flux
These satellite images show the effects of a sudden influx of warm freshwater on sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. On the left are natural color satellite images of Canada’s Mackenzie River delta where it enters the Beaufort Sea. On the right are temperature maps of the ice and water surface temperatures for the same…
How Dogs Drink
This high-speed footage shows how a dog drinks. The dog’s tongue curls backwards, creating a large area of surface contact with the water. When the dog pulls its tongue back up, water adheres to it and is drawn upward in a column. The dog then closes its mouth around the water before it falls. Fundamentally,…
Ice in Engines
Ice build-up is a major hazard on airplane wings and control surfaces, but ice can accrete on internal engine components, too. When this happens, the turbofan jet engine can lose power. Such incidents have been observed in high-altitude flight even when pilots observed little to no inclement weather. Researchers think this ice accretion may occur…
Dust Storm in Texas
This aerial photo shows the leading edge of a haboob–an intense dust storm–sweeping across Texas last week. Although dust can be stirred up under many circumstances, haboobs are a specific meteorological phenomenon with winds as high as 100 kph and towering clouds of dust kilometers high. This particular storm swept through five US states last…
Flowing Uphill
Science Friday takes an inside look at self-propelled Leidenfrost droplets like those we’ve featured previously. The Leidenfrost effect takes place when a liquid comes in contact with a surface much, much hotter than its boiling point. Part of the liquid is vaporized, creating a thin gas layer that both insulates the remaining liquid and causes…
Greening the River
Every year Chicago dyes its river green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. This timelapse video shows this year’s dyeing, including several passes from a boat distributing the green dye. The color is remarkably slow to diffuse. The boat’s passage does little to affect the motion of the dye already in the river. This is…
“Demersal”
The ethereal shapes of inks and paints falling through water make fascinating subjects. Here the ink appears to rise because the photographs are upside-down. The fluid forms mushroom-like plumes and little vortex rings. The strands that split apart into tiny lace-like fingers are an example of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, which occurs when a denser fluid…
Vortex Ring Tricks
Vortex rings are wonderful at maintaining coherent vorticity while moving over significant distances. If you stand several meters from a foam cup and try blowing to knock it over, it’s not likely to budge. But move the air impulsively with a vortex cannon, and you can knock it over from the opposite side of the…
Australian Fire Tornado
The fire tornado is one of nature’s most impressive and terrifying examples of fluid dynamics. Although they are relatively common phenomena, it’s rare to get such a clear glimpse of them since they usually occur in the midst of giant wildfires. The fire tornado is driven by a combination of updraft from the fire and…