Théorique, numérique
One of the most remarkable effects of highly viscous polymer solutions that has been recently observed in experiments is the development of an elastic turbulence regime in the limit of strong elasticity. The flow of polymer solution in this regime displays irregularities typical of turbulent flows even at low velocity and high viscosity (i.e., for vanishing Reynolds number). As a consequence of turbulent motion at small scales, elastic turbulence can reveal as an efficient technique for mixing in very low Reynolds flows (e.g., in microchannels). Despite its great technological interest, elastic turbulence is still only partially understood from a fundamental point of view. During this internship, we will perform simulations aimed at numerically reproducing elastic turbulence in the three-dimensional Taylor-Couette flow, a setup that is commonly used in experiments. The analysis will focus on the turbulent statistical properties that represent the most comparable indicators between numerical simulations and experimental measurements.