Physicist Alessio Zaccone has discovered a new effect of Einstein's theory of special relativity on fluids, termed "fluid thickening," which describes how fluid viscosity changes under relativistic conditions. This groundbreaking theory, detailed in Physical Review E, combines relativistic equations with current fluid dynamics theories to explain viscosity behavior at near-light speeds and high temperatures. Zaccone's work suggests a potential new fundamental law of physics, enhancing our understanding of relativistic effects on fluids and their implications in astrophysics and high-energy physics.
A new theory extends Einstein's relativity to real fluids, proposing a relativistic theory of viscosity that accounts for the effects of high-speed motion on fluid properties. This theory, based on the relativistic Langevin equation, suggests that fluid viscosity increases with speed, analogous to length contraction and time dilation, and introduces the concept of "fluid thickening" at relativistic speeds. The findings have implications for understanding high-energy fluids like quark-gluon plasma in astrophysics and high-energy physics.
Scientists at the University of Chicago have used dense suspensions of piezoelectric nanoparticles to study the molecular behavior of oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid that can behave as both a liquid and a solid. Oobleck's viscosity changes in response to applied strain or shearing force, making it a shear-thickening fluid. The researchers developed a mathematical model to predict the transition of oobleck from liquid to solid and back again, taking into account factors such as particle size and electrical charges. Computer simulations of previous experiments confirmed the accuracy of the model's predictions.
