Short Course On

Mesoscopic Simulation of Dynamics in Complex Fluids

Date and Location

October 17 - 18, 2009 (Saturday - Sunday)

All classes will begin at 8:30 AM at Hall of Ideas GJ, Monona Terrace. Continental breakfast is served at 8:30 AM.

The short course is held in conjunction with the 81st Annual Meeting of The Society of Rheology (October 18 - 22, 2009)

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Instructors

Instructor Biosketches

Michael D. Graham is Harvey D. Spangler professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His interests lie in the fluid dynamics of complex fluids, with applications from turbulent drag reduction to nanofluidic manipulation of DNA to the behavior of suspensions of swimming microorganisms.

Juan P. Hernandez-Ortiz is Associate Professor in the Department of Materials at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellin. He is co-author, with Tim Osswald, of the text Polymer Processing: Modeling and Simulation, and additionally has interests in the dynamics of suspensions and polymer solutions.

This course is based on a short course taught by the instructors at the Danish Technical University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Course Description

This course provides an introduction to physical, mathematical and computational aspects of Brownian motion and mesoscopic dynamic simulation of complex fluids, through a mix of lectures and programming sessions. It is designed to be useful for researchers and practitioners interested in understanding and performing simulations of polymer and suspension dynamics, microrheology, single-molecule biophysics and microfluidics. and in particular to provide an understanding of simulation methods beyond what is easily achieved by reading the literature.

Morning lectures will develop physical descriptions of Brownian motion in complex fluids (Langevin equations, hydrodynamic interactions, correlation functions, fluctuation-dissipation theorem…) and mathematical ones (Wiener processes, Fokker-Planck equations, stochastic differential equations, stochastic simulation…). In the afternoon programming sessions, students will write MATLAB programs (using functions provided by the instructors) to capture the combined effects of Brownian motion, hydrodynamic interaction and imposed external fields on the dynamics of suspensions and polymer solutions.

Upon completion of this course, students will have the background to perform simulations of many situations of interest, including:

• prediction of regions of high polymer stretching in complex processing flows
• aggregation and sedimentation in suspensions of Brownian particles,
• propulsion of microorganisms,
• transport of suspensions of particles and macromolecules in microfluidic geometries.

Note: For the programming sessions, it will be necessary to have a laptop. A small number of “loaner” computers may be available. For students who do not have MATLAB, we will make arrangements with The Mathworks to provide temporary licenses, at no additional charge.

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Syllabus

• Review of basics – polymer coarse-graining, Brownian motion
• Particle motions and flow fields at low Reynolds number – hydrodynamic interactions, pair and multiparticle mobilities
• Dynamics of a single Brownian particle in solution
  • Langevin equation
  • velocity autocorrelations and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem
  • The basic Brownian dynamics simulation algorithm
• The diffusion equation and Brownian motion – Wiener processes
• The diffusion (Fokker-Planck) equation for a general stochastic process: diffusion and drift
• Stochastic differential equations and stochastic simulation of multiparticle systems
• Applications: polymer dynamics in flow, sedimentation, aggregation
• Special topics (time permitting): Stochastic Navier-Stokes and Boltzmann equations (toward lattice Boltzmann); dissipative particle dynamics; one- and two-point microrheology; confined systems

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Short Course Registration

Short course registration includes a complete set of course notes. Registration fees are in U.S. dollars. Payment must be made online with MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express.

Due to the time needed to setup each participant for the short course,
short course registration is now closed.

*Non-members who are registering to attend the 81st Annual Meeting may register for the short course at the member rates.

Due to the time needed to setup each participant for the short course,
short course registration is now closed.

Register Online

Cancellations for the short course received by electronic mail (c/o The Local Arrangements Chair, A. Jeffrey Giacomin, giacomin@wisc.edu) by September 18, 2009 will be subject to a $50 administrative charge. No refunds will be granted after that date. Each class is limited to 40 students.

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Questions can be directed to Professor Michael J. Solomon, University of Michigan, current chair of the SOR Education Committee, at mjsolo@umich.edu.