Physics of Fluids

ISBN-13: 9783031307492 / Angielski

Roberto A. Capuzzo Dolcetta

Opis

This book is exceptional in providing an up-to-date, but compact, introduction to the field of hydrodynamics and fluid dynamics that is both sufficiently comprehensive and easy to read. It covers all the elements of compressible and incompressible fluid dynamics, from the basic concepts through to the constituent equations and their applications. Fluid flows in different environments are thoroughly discussed, and specific aspects such as dissipation, turbulence, shock waves, and blast waves receive detailed attention. The book contains many exercises and draws attention to numerical solutions to specific problems. The book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students and young researchers in physics, astrophysics, mathematics (pure and applied), and engineering. As this book is intended for a wide audience, the mathematical prerequisites are kept to a low level.

Spis treści

Fluids and their fundamental aspects 

1.1 Newtonian and non-Newtonian Fluids 

1.2 Plasma as peculiar fluid 

1.3 The continuum hypothesis 

1.4 The Lagrangian and Eulerian descriptions of fluids

1.4.1 From the Lagrangian to the Eulerian description and

viceversa 

1.5 Stream lines and flux tubes 

1.6 Solved exercises 

1.7 Further Readings 

The basic equations for the fluid motion 

2.1 The continuity equation 

2.1.1 Lagrangian form of continuity equation 

2.2 The motion equation for fluids 

2.2.1 For ideal fluids 

2.2.2 For non ideal fluids 

2.2.3 The stream function

2.3 The energy equation 

2.3.1 Kinetic energy of the fluid 

2.3.2 The energy equation for a dissipative fluid 

2.4 Thermodynamics of fluids and equations of state 

2.5 Turbulence 

2.6 Stokes’ law and falling sphere viscometer 

2.7 Solved exercises 

2.8 Further Readings 

Fluid flows in different environments 

3.1 Fluids in terrestrial and astrophysical contexts 

3.2 Self-gravitating fluids

3.2.1 Equilibrium of self-gravitating fluids

3.2.2 Gravitating systems out of equilibrium 

3.3 Jeans theory of gravitational instability 

3.4 The role of viscosity in astrophysical environments 

3.5 Peculiarities of astrophysical equations of state 

3.6 Solved exercises 

3.7 Further Readings 

Discontinuities in fluid flows 

4.1 Jump conditions 

4.2 Tangential discontinuities 

4.3 Shock waves

4.3.1 Jumps in terms of Mach numbers 

4.3.2 Weak shocks 

4.3.3 Physical meaning of shock waves 

4.4 Solved exercises 

4.5 Further Readings 

Blast waves 

5.1 Propagation of a blast wave 

5.2 A similarity solution 

5.2.1 Determination of the dimensionless constant �������� 

5.3 Supernova explosions 

5.4 Solved exercises 

5.5 Further Readings 

Peculiar Fluid Dynamics 

6.1 Relativistic Fluid Dynamics

6.1.1 The energy-momentum tensor 

6.1.2 Relativistic equations of fluid motion 

6.2 Superfluids 

6.3 Further Readings 

Basic vector analysis and calculus 

A.1 The Formal Vector Operator ∇ 

A.2 Coordinate systems 

A.2.1 Gradient, divergence, Laplacian and curl in different

coordinate systems 

A.2.2 Continuity and motion equation in spherical polar and

cylindrical coordinates 

A.3 Some useful vector formulas

A.3.1 Identities of vector algebra 

A.3.2 Identities involving ∇

A.4 Basic concepts and theorems of vector calculus 

A.5 Tensors

A.6 Further Readings

References

Bibliography 

O autorze

Roberto A. Capuzzo Dolcetta has been working for 40 years in the field of Physics and Theoretical Astrophysics.  Presently, he is a professor at Sapienza, University of Roma, where he currently teaches Fluid Dynamics for Astrophysics and Theoretical Astrophysics. He also has long experience in teaching Gravitational Physics and Theoretical Mechanics at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, he has taught in the USA, delivering, for instance, the undergraduate course on Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology at the University of Washington and Seattle and presenting lectures for graduate students at Boston University. He has several scientific and didactic collaborations with, among the others,  the Universities of Heidelberg (DE), of Leiden (NL), and of Prague (CZ). Since May 2010, he has been a scientific reviewer for ISCRA (Italian Super Computing Research Allocation) at CINECA and leader of the panel of Universe Science of the Access Committee of PRACE (the European infrastructure for supercomputing). His research activity is mainly theoretical, in the field of stellar clusters, both galactic and extragalactic. He is an expert in sophisticated numerical methods to deal with large self-gravitating N-body systems also embedded in gaseous cluds. He has obtained important results concerning the evolution and dynamics of the globular cluster systems in galaxies and proposed a new explanation for mass accretion and activity of galactic nuclei, including interpretation of the peculiar dynamics of stars around the Galactic supermassive black hole. He is the author of more than 240 scientific papers in international journals.