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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Quantifying Mixing using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: January 25, 2012
Spatiotemporal resonances in mixing of open viscous fluids
1Microfluidique, MEMS, Nanostructures, ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
In this Letter, we reveal a new dynamical phenomenon, called "spatiotemporal resonance," which is expected to take place in a broad range of viscous, periodically forced, open systems. The observation originates from a numerical and theoretical analysis of a micromixer, and is supported by preliminary experimental observations. The theoretical model nicely matches the numerical results, which again is supported by the experiment. Because of the general nature of the phenomenon, this phenomenon is not limited to microsystems. Because of the resonances, a slight tuning of the control parameters makes the mixer enhance the mixing, or suppress it, enhancing interfacial diffusion instead.
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