Researchers have found a way to alter the direction of energy flow in turbulence, challenging a theory established in 1941. The work, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh with Italian collaborators, was published in Science Advances in 2025.
The study shows that energy in turbulent flows does not always follow the long-predicted path from larger to smaller scales in three-dimensional settings. Led by assistant professor Lei Fang, the team demonstrated that tensor geometry can redirect this flow in either direction. Experiments used a thin layer of water driven by electromagnetic forces, with tracer particles to track movement. Results matched simulations and confirmed that alignment of forces can change energy transfer. Applications may include better dispersion of coastal contaminants and improved mixing in microfluidic medical devices. The framework could also aid climate models by accounting for shifts in ocean and atmospheric energy flows.