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Chaotic mixing
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Chaos_theory/LTC17vsF">chaos theory</a> and <a href="/facts/Fluid_dynamics/y7uzSCfg">fluid dynamics</a>, chaotic mixing is a process by which <a href="/facts/Flow_tracer/ssA1CASQ">flow tracers</a> develop into complex <a href="/facts/Fractals/sXj38JeN">fractals</a> under the action of a <a href="/facts/Fluid/tMQ46Tmz">fluid</a> flow. The flow is characterized by an <a href="/facts/Exponential_growth/m4yEqKJ7">exponential growth</a> of fluid filaments. Even very simple flows, such as the blinking vortex, or finitely resolved wind fields can generate exceptionally complex patterns from initially simple tracer fields. </p><p>The phenomenon is still not well understood and is the subject of much current research. </p>