Using the underlying power of their mathematical representations, we see connections between the ocean waves that endanger offshore structures and the optical signals in a glass fibre that provide modern telecommunications, and further connections abound with biological, industrial and financial modelling. Thus research in this group does not fit neatly into specific topics since in its active wide-ranging nature gives it a multitude of connections. Often the close consideration that mathematical study requires leads to deeper understanding of the original problem area. Fluid dynamics Fluids are widespread. They make up the atmospheres of planets and stars, are involved in most sources of mechanical power, and in all forms of transport, if only as a resisting medium.
Most chemical processes involve liquids or gases.
The many fluids in our own bodies are clearly important to us. The work within the department is particularly stimulated by geophysical phenomena and contacts with industry and research establishments. Most of the flows studied have a fundamental character and often form constituent parts of the more complex flow systems found in nature or technology. There is special interest in geophysical and geological flows, in water-wave and coastal hydrodynamics, in aspects of turbulence and in numerical and analytical methods of solving such problems. Quantum physics Quantum mechanics, the theory of matter on small scales, plays an important role in current physics and technology.