Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation1

The objectives of our research are to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation of complex spatio-temporal patterns in systems that are driven outside of thermodynamic equilibrium, to characterize the macroscopic properties of such states, and to apply the methodology to situations of interest in fluid physics and engineering. Current research focuses on pattern formation, secondary instabilities and the transition to spatio-temporal chaos in parametrically driven surface waves, and the development of hydrodynamic equations at the mesoscopic level to model short length scale phenomena that fall beyond a conventional hydrodynamic description.