The geometric structure of complex fluids (Q1004251)

This interesting paper is devoted to the theory of affine Euler-Poincaré and affine Lie-Poisson reductions. The results of this theory are applied in different mathematical models of complex fluids, Yang-Mills and Hall magnetohydrodynamics for fluids and superfluids, spin glasses, microfluids and liquid crystals. The paper begins by recalling needed facts and notations about Lagrangian and Hamiltonian reductions for semidirect products. The authors present the theory of affine Euler-Poincaré reduction for a general Lie group \(G\) acting by affine representation on a dual vector space \(V^{\ast }\). This theory is specialized to the case of general complex fluids. More precisely, the group \(G\) is defined concretely and the cocycle needed in the affine representation, in order to obtain by reduction the general equations for complex fluids. The principal result of the Hamiltonian theory states that, under some conditions, reducing a canonical symplectic form relative to a cotangent lift with an affine term is equivalent to reducing a magnetic symplectic form relative to the cotangent lift. Thus we get the theory of affine Lie-Poisson reduction for a general Lie group \(G\) acting by affine representation on a dual vector space \(V^{\ast }\). These results are used for the complex fluid dynamics. In particular, the associated Poisson bracket and momentum map are computed. The above stated theory is illustrated by examples of spin systems, Yang-Mills and Hall magnetohydrodynamics for fluids and superfluids as well as the HVBK dynamics for \(^{4}He\) with vortices. An interesting example of the Volovik-Dotsenko spin glasses is given as well. All the Hamiltonian structures obtained in the paper by reduction of the canonical structure, coincide with the ones obtained by various different methods in a series of papers by D. D. Holm and B. A. Kupershmidt (1984-2002). In the case of microfluids the authors study three models proposed by A. C. Eringen (2001), namely, the micropolar, microstretch and micromorphic models, corresponding to three groups associated to the internal structure of the fluid particles. The case of Eringen's polymeric liquid crystals is discussed as well.