2012 Image Gallery

2012 Gallery of Fluid Motion

The Division of Fluid Dynamics exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure. Every year, the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics hosts a physical Gallery of Fluid Motion at its annual meeting — a room where stunning graphics and videos from computational or experimental studies showing flow phenomena are displayed.

A panel of referees selects the most outstanding entries based on artistic content, originality, and their ability to convey information. The 65th Annual Meeting Image Gallery archives a subset of these images and videos on the APS DFD website. Outstanding entries are honored during the Meeting, placed on display at the Annual APS 2013 March Meeting, and published in the annual "Gallery of Fluid Motion" in the September 2013 issue of the American Institute of Physics' journal, Physics of Fluids. Past winners are also published in the Physics of Fluids.
Gray arrow Physics of Fluids

In conjunction with the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 18-20, 2012, San Diego, California), a subset of these images and videos is archived on the APS DFD website.
Gray arrow  APS DFD Virtual Press Room Archives

Usage Permission

Reporters seeking permission to use these images or author contact information should email Charles Blue. Please leave "DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion" in the subject line.

Rinsing Flow Image of Water

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A jet of dyed water (white) rinses a diluted solution of polyacrylamide (PAM) (blue) off of a surface.


Clapping Wet Hands

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Inspired by children clapping their wet hands, the authors of this snapshot capture the smooth sheet of liquid created by the rapid compression of two plates, shortly before that sheet breaks down due to instabilities.


Observation of a Star-Shaped Surface Gravity Wave

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Vertical vibrations to a fluid in a container create standing waves that alternate in appearance between a pentagon and a five-pointed star.


Stretched Coiling Instability

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A coiling stream of honey stretches and deforms as it traverses the water in a crystal goblet.


Water From A Yard Faucet

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Scientists use water sheets to create a new, simple water feature for yard displays.


Plethora of Vortices in the Wake of a Dual-Step Cylinder

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The orange in these images depicts the vortices created by water flowing over a circular cylinder with two step changes in diameter.


Impact Dynamics of Binary Droplet Collision

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This snapshot from a high-fidelity simulation shows what happens moments after a head-on collision between two water droplets.


Images of Thermomagnetic Convection Patterns

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Convection patterns appear when a fluid that responds to magnetization is placed in a magnetic field and is heated from one side.


Pair of Counter-Rotating Vortices in Ground Effect

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The interaction of a pair of wavy, counter-rotating vortices with a wall, and the subsequent generation of secondary vorticity, are shown in these images at two different times during their evolution.


A Rising Bubble Ring

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This multiple-exposure photograph shows a single bubble ring rising to the top of a water tank.


Causing a Stir: Cilia-Driven Flow Landscapes on a Coral Surface

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In this composite image, the tracks of fluorescent beads reveal the complex cilia-driven flow between Pocillopora damicornis coral polyps.