Soft Condensed Matter Physics

Part of Experimental Condensed Matter/AMO Physics

Goldburg and Wu are heavily engaged in the study of fluid turbulence in two dimensions. This is the area that has been dominated by theory and by computer simulations over many years. As a result of innovative techniques that were developed in Goldburg’s and Wu’s laboratories it has become possible in the last few years to study these phenomena experimentally. Current investigations focus on possible applications of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to strongly driven systems (Goldburg) and to flow intermittency in a strongly stratified fluid and in a polymer solution (Wu). Wu also has an active biophysics program that focuses on transport in synapses and other topics.