arXiv subjects

Rodrigo C. V. Coelho

Publications and source records attributed to Rodrigo C. V. Coelho.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Collective transport of droplets through porous media

The flow of deformable particles, such as droplets, dragged by a fluid, through a network of narrow pores inside rocks or other porous media is key in a range of applications, from enhanced oil recovery and water filtration to lab on a chip sorting of cells. The collective dynamics and its impact on the flow are poorly understood. Here, using droplets as a prototype, we show that collective transport can occur for conditions under which a single particle would get trapped at a pore channel. When a series of droplets gets trapped, the fluids flow is affected significantly, leading to an increase of the pressure difference across the pore channels, which in turn squeezes the particles through the channels. We analyze the conditions for a single droplet to flow through one pore and derive the corresponding Bond number. We also obtain a rule for the collective flow of droplets in porous media.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Dispersion of activity at an active-passive nematic interface

Efficient nutrient mixing is crucial for the survival of bacterial colonies and other living systems. This raises the question of whether the optimization of mixing through the emergence of active turbulent motion in bacterial swarms played a role in the evolution of bacterial shapes. Here, to address this question, we solve the hydrodynamic equation for active nematics coupled with an advection-diffusion equation for the nutrients. The latter models a conserved activity field and mimics the conservation of nutrients in bacterial swarms. At the interface between active and passive nematic phases, in addition to diffusion, the activity is transported by interfacial flows and in turn modifies them through active stresses. We find that the interfacial dispersion of the conserved activity is subdiffusive due to the emergence of a barrier of negative defects at the active-passive interface, which hinders the propagation of the motile positive defects. Furthermore, we observe a non-monotonic dependence of the generalized diffusion coefficient on the aligning parameter, which is related to the shape of the particles. Our simulations suggest that there is an optimal shape that maximizes the dispersion of conserved activity at the active-passive nematic interface.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2022

Dynamics of two-dimensional liquid bridges

We have simulated the motion of a single vertical, two-dimensional liquid bridge spanning the gap between two flat, horizontal solid substrates of given wettabilities, using a multicomponent pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann method. For this simple geometry, the Young-Laplace equation can be solved (quasi-)analytically to yield the equilibrium bridge shape under gravity, which provides a check on the validity of the numerical method. In steady-state conditions, we calculate the drag force exerted by the moving bridge on the confining substrates as a function of its velocity, for different contact angles and Bond numbers. We also study how the bridge deforms as it moves, as parametrized by the changes in the advancing and receding contact angles at the substrates relative to their equilibrium values. Finally, starting from a bridge within the range of contact angles and Bond numbers in which it can exist at equilibrium, we investigate how fast it must move in order to break up.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2021

Dynamics of flowing 2D skyrmions

We investigate, numerically, the effects of externally imposed material flows on the structure and temporal evolution of liquid crystal skyrmions. The dynamics of a 2D system of skyrmions is modeled using the Ericksen-Leslie theory, which is based on two coupled equations, one for material flow and the other for the director field. As the time scales of the velocity and director fields differ by several orders of magnitude for realistic values of the system parameters, we have simplified the calculations by assuming that the velocity relaxes instantaneously when compared to the relaxation of the director field. Thus, we have used a finite-differences method known as artificial compressibility with adaptive time step to solve the velocity field and a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method for the director field. We characterized the skyrmion shape or configuration as a function of the time and the average velocity of the flow field. We found that for velocities above a certain threshold, the skyrmions stretch in the direction perpendicular to the flow, by contrast to the regime of weak flows where the skyrmions stretch along the streamlines of the flow field. These two regimes are separated by an abrupt (first-order) dynamical transition, which is robust with respect to e.g., the liquid crystal elastic anisotropy. Additionally, we have found how the presence of a second skyrmion affects the evolution of the shape of the skyrmions, by comparing the evolution of pairs of skyrmions to the evolution of a single-skyrmion.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2021

Flow through time-evolving porous media: swelling and erosion

The flow through a porous medium strongly depends on the boundary conditions, very often assumed to be static. Here, we consider changes in the medium due to swelling and erosion and extend existing Lattice-Boltzmann models to include both. We study two boundary conditions: a constant pressure drop and a constant flow rate. For a constant flow rate, the steady state depends solely on the erosion dynamics while for a constant pressure drop it depends also on the timescale of swelling. We analyze the competition between swelling and erosion and identify a transition between regimes where either swelling or erosion dominate.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Director alignment at the nematic-isotropic interface: elastic anisotropy and active anchoring

Activity in nematics drives interfacial flows that lead to preferential alignment that is tangential or planar for extensile systems (pushers) and perpendicular or homeotropic for contractile ones (pullers). This alignment is known as active anchoring and has been reported for a number of systems and described using active nematic hydrodynamic theories. The latter are based on the one-elastic constant approximation, i.e., they assume elastic isotropy of the underlying passive nematic. Real nematics, however, have different elastic constants, which lead to interfacial anchoring. In this paper, we consider elastic anisotropy in multiphase and multicomponent hydrodynamic models of active nematics and investigate the competition between the interfacial alignment driven by the elastic anisotropy of the passive nematic and the active anchoring. We start by considering systems with translational invariance to analyze the alignment at flat interfaces and, then, consider two-dimensional systems and active nematic droplets. We investigate the competition of the two types of anchoring over a wide range of the other parameters that characterize the system. The results of the simulations reveal that the active anchoring dominates except at very low activities, when the interfaces are static. In addition, we found that the elastic anisotropy does not affect the dynamics but changes the active length that becomes anisotropic.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2021

Wetting boundary conditions for multicomponent pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann

The implementation of boundary conditions is among the most challenging parts of modeling fluid flow through channels and complex media. Here, we show that the existing methods to deal with liquid-wall interactions using multicomponent Lattice Boltzmann are accurate when the wall is aligned with the main axes of the lattice but fail otherwise. To solve this problem, we extend a strategy previously developed for multiphase models. As an example, we study the coalescence of two droplets on a curved surface in two dimensions. The strategy proposed here is of special relevance for binary flows in complex geometries.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2021

Effect of particle deformability on shear thinning in a 3D channel

Soft particles suspended in fluids flowing through microchannels are often encountered in biological flows such as cells in vessels. They can deform under flow or when subject to mechanical stresses as they interact with themselves. Deformability adds distinct characteristics to the nature of the flow of these particles. We simulate deformable particles suspended in a fluid at a high volume fraction flowing through a 3D wetting channel. We find a discontinuous shear thinning transition, which depends on the particle deformability. The capillary number is the main parameter that controls the transition. We also notice significant differences in the velocity profiles when compared to their 2D counterpart. To obtain these results, we improved and extended to 3D a multicomponent Lattice Boltzmann method which prevents the coalescence between the droplets.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2019

Propagation of active nematic-isotropic interfaces on substrates

Motivated by results for the propagation of active-passive interfaces of bacterial Serratia marcescens swarms [Nat. Comm., 9, 5373 (2018)] we use a hydrodynamic multiphase model to investigate the propagation of interfaces of active nematics on substrates. We characterize the active nematic phase of the model and discuss its description of the statistical dynamics of the swarms. We show that the velocicity correlation functions and the energy spectrum of the active turbulent phase of the model scale with the active length, for a range of activities. In addition, the energy spectrum exhibits two power-law regimes with exponents close to those reported for other models and bacterial swarms. Although the exponent of the rising branch of the spectrum (small wavevector) appears to be independent of the activity, the exponent of the decay changes with activity systematically, albeit slowly. We characterize also the propagation of circular and flat active-passive interfaces. We find that the closing time of the circular passive domain decays quadratically with the activity and that the structure factor of the flat interface is similar to that reported for swarms, with an activity dependent exponent. Finally, the effect of the substrate friction was investigated. We found an activity dependent threshold, above which the turbulent active nematic forms isolated islands that shrink until the system becomes isotropic and below which the active nematic expands, with a well defined propagating interface. The interface may be stopped by a fricion gradient.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2019

Lattice-Boltzmann simulation of free nematic-isotropic interfaces

We use a hybrid method of lattice Boltzmann and finite differences to simulate flat and curved interfaces between the nematic and isotropic phases of a liquid crystal described by the Landau-de Gennes theory. For the flat interface, we measure the interfacial velocity at different temperatures around the coexistence. We show that the interface is completely static at the coexistence temperature and that the profile width is in line with the theoretical predictions. The interface is stable in a range of temperatures around coexistence and disappears when one of the two phases becomes mechanically unstable. We stabilize circular nematic domains by a shift in temperature, related to the Laplace pressure, and estimate the spurious velocities of these lattice Boltzmann simulations.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2019

Active nematic-isotropic interfaces in channels

We use numerical simulations to investigate the hydrodynamic behavior of the interface between nematic (N) and isotropic (I) phases of a confined active liquid crystal. At low activities, a stable interface with constant shape and velocity is observed separating the two phases. For nematics in homeotropic channels, the velocity of the interface at the NI transition increases from zero (i) linearly with the activity for contractile systems and (ii) quadratically for extensile ones. Interestingly, the nematic phase expands for contractile systems while it contracts for extensile ones, as a result of the active forces at the interface. Since both activity and temperature affect the stability of the nematic, for active nematics in the stable regime the temperature can be tuned to observe static interfaces, providing an operational definition for the coexistence of active nematic and isotropic phases. At higher activities, beyond the stable regime, an interfacial instability is observed for extensile nematics. In this regime defects are nucleated at the interface and move away from it. The dynamics of these defects is regular and persists asymptotically for a finite range of activities. We used an improved hybrid model of finite differences and lattice Boltzmann method with multi-relaxation-time collision operator, the accuracy of which allowed us to characterize the dynamics of the distinct interfacial regimes.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

Fully dissipative relativistic lattice Boltzmann method in two dimensions

In this paper, we develop and characterize the fully dissipative Lattice Boltzmann method for ultra-relativistic fluids in two dimensions using three equilibrium distribution functions: Maxwell-Jüttner, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein. Our results stem from the expansion of these distribution functions up to fifth order in relativistic polynomials. We also obtain new Gaussian quadratures for square lattices that preserve the spatial resolution. Our models are validated with the Riemann problem and the limitations of lower order expansions to calculate higher order moments are shown. The kinematic viscosity and the thermal conductivity are numerically obtained using the Taylor-Green vortex and the Fourier flow respectively and these transport coefficients are compared with the theoretical prediction from Grad's theory. In order to compare different expansion orders, we analyze the temperature and heat flux fields on the time evolution of a hot spot.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of the Dirac fluid of charge carriers on graphene

We provide numerical evidence that a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability occurs in the Dirac fluid of electrons in graphene and can be detected in current experiments. This instability appears for electrons in the viscous regime passing though a micrometer-scale obstacle and affects measurements on the time scale of nanoseconds. A possible realization with a needle-shaped obstacle is proposed to produce and detect this instability by measuring the electric potential difference between contact points located before and after the obstacle. We also show that, for our setup, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability leads to the formation of whirlpools similar to the ones reported in Bandurin et al. [Science 351, 1055 (2016)]. To perform the simulations, we develop a lattice Boltzmann method able to recover the full dissipation in a fluid of massless particles.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2017

Lattice Boltzmann method for semiclassical fluids

We determine properties of the lattice Boltzmann method for semiclassical fluids, which is based on the Boltzmann equation and the equilibrium distribution function is given either by the Bose-Einstein or the Fermi-Dirac ones. New D-dimensional polynomials, that generalize the Hermite ones, are introduced and we find that the weight that renders the polynomials orthonormal has to be approximately equal, or equal, to the equilibrium distribution function itself for an efficient numerical implementation of the lattice Boltzmann method. In light of the new polynomials we discuss the convergence of the series expansion of the equilibrium distribution function and the obtainment of the hydrodynamic equations. A discrete quadrature is proposed and some discrete lattices in one, two and three dimensions associated to weight functions other than the Hermite weight are obtained. We derive the forcing term for the LBM, given by the Lorentz force, which dependents on the microscopic velocity, since the bosonic and fermionic particles can be charged. Motivated by the recent experimental observations of the hydrodynamic regime of electrons in graphene, we build an isothermal lattice Boltzmann method for electrons in metals in two and three dimensions. This model is validated by means of the Riemann problem and of the Poiseuille flow. As expected for electron in metals, the Ohm's law is recovered for a system analogous to a porous medium.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

Chebyshev, Legendre, Hermite and other orthonormal polynomials in D-dimensions

We propose a general method to construct symmetric tensor polynomials in the D-dimensional Euclidean space which are orthonormal under a general weight. The D-dimensional Hermite polynomials are a particular case of the present ones for the case of a gaussian weight. Hence we obtain generalizations of the Legendre and of the Chebyshev polynomials in D dimensions that reduce to the respective well-known orthonormal polynomials in D=1 dimensions. We also obtain new D-dimensional polynomials orthonormal under other weights, such as the Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein, Graphene equilibrium distribution functions and the Yukawa potential. We calculate the series expansion of an arbitrary function in terms of the new polynomials up to the fourth order and define orthonormal multipoles. The explicit orthonormalization of the polynomials up to the fifth order (N from 0 to 4) reveals an increasing number of orthonormalization equations that matches exactly the number of polynomial coefficients indication the correctness of the present procedure.

math-ph↗

arXiv2017

A lattice Boltzmann method based on generalized polynomials and its application for electrons in metals

A lattice Boltzmann method is proposed based on the expansion of the equilibrium distribution function in powers of a new set of generalized orthonormal polynomials which are here presented. The new polynomials are orthonormal under the weight defined by the equilibrium distribution function itself. The D-dimensional Hermite polynomials is a sub-case of the present ones, associated to the particular weight of a gaussian function. The proposed lattice Boltzmann method allows for the treatment of semi-classical fluids, such as electrons in metals under the Drude-Sommerfeld model, which is a particular case that we develop and validate by the Riemann problem.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2016

Fluid dynamics in porous media with Sailfish

In this work we show the application of Sailfish to the study of fluid dynamics in porous media. Sailfish is an open-source software based on the lattice-Boltzmann method. This application of computational fluid dynamics is of particular interest to the oil and gas industry and the subject could be a starting point for an undergraduate or graduate student in physics or engineering. We built artificial samples of porous media with different porosities and used Sailfish to simulate the fluid flow through in order to calculate permeability and tortuosity. We also present a simple way to obtain the specific superficial area of porous media using Python libraries. To contextualize these concepts, we test the Kozeny--Carman equation, discuss its validity and calculate the Kozeny's constant for our artificial samples.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2014

Standardization of type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have been intensively investigated due to its great homogeneity and high luminosity, which make it possible to use them as standardizable candles for the determination of cosmological parameters. In 2011, the physics Nobel prize was awarded for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae. This is a pedagogical article, aimed at those starting their study of that subject, in which we dwell on some topics related to the analysis of SNe Ia and their use in luminosity distance estimators. Here we investigate their spectral properties and light curve standardization, paying careful attention to the fundamental quantities directly related to the SNe Ia observables. Finally, we describe our own step-by-step implementation of a classical light curve fitter, the stretch, applying it to real data from the Carnegie Supernova Project.

astro-ph.CO↗