The equations of fluid mechanics describe how viscous fluids move. When these equations are applied to the flight of the dandelion seed, they give rise to a very peculiar fluid behaviour: a “halo” vortex. So peculiar in fact that such a vortex has never been observed before in nature. So is the halo vortex a quirk of the equations, or is it a quirk of nature?
Cathal Cummins (Heriot-Watt) – whose research focuses on fluid mechanics of swirls, encompassing problems in biology, renewable energy, and beer – will show how equations predict the halo vortex and the implications for the flight of nature’s tiniest fliers.
