title: Impact of discontinuous deformation upon the rate of chaotic mixing.
abstract: Mixing in smoothly deforming systems is achieved by repeated stretching and folding of material, and has been widely studied. However, for the classes of materials that also admit discontinuous deformation, the theory of mixing based on the assumption of smooth deformation does not apply. Discontinuous deformation provides additional topological freedom for material transport and results in different Lagrangian coherent structures forbidden in smoothly deforming systems. We uncover the impact of discontinuous deformation on mixing rates, showing that mixing can be either enhanced or impeded depending on the local stability of the underlying smooth map.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.|Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.|CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Lachlan D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Murray
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rudman
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.|CSIRO Manufacturing, Highett, Victoria 3190, Australia.|Department of Mechanical and Product Design Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Metcalfe