Mathematische Analyse von Modellen zur Bildung fluider Strukturen an Grenzflächen

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Günther Grün
• Subject Area: Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 1998 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5107018

The goal of the project is to analyse, to evaluate, and to improve mathematical models for the dewetting of thin liquid films on homogeneous surfaces and the formation of fluid structures on inhomogeneous substrates. During the second period of the Schwerpunktprogramm, investigations on evaporation and condensation processes will be included. The proposed project consists of three main parts which can be summarized as follows:Modelling: Based on lubrication approximation, evolution equations for the height of condensing fluids on inhomogeneous surfaces shall be derived.Analysis: Methods from the calculus of variations and the theory of partial differential equations shall be used to obtain results on existence and qualitative behaviour of solutions to the corresponding evolution equations for film height h and pressure p. Besides their obvious importance for a better understanding of the asymptotic behaviour of solutions, these theoretical results are also the key ingredient to formulate fast and reliable algorithms for numerical sumulations.Numerical simulations: During the last two years, G. Grün and M. Rumpf succeded in developing and analysing a finite-element/finite-volume scheme which drastically reduces the computation time for the simulation of spreading phenomena. Based on this scheme, a general finite-element solver shall be designed to enable numerical simulations of all the phenomena mentioned above. The evaluation will be performed by comparison with experimental data; it strongly depends on an intense cooperation with experimentalists inside the Schwerpunktprogramm.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1052: Benetzung und Strukturbildung an Grenzflächen