Top Postdoc: Let there be light

A stroll along the beach at night can sometimes lead to mesmerizing experiences, where surreal blue lights wink in and out of existence under one's feet near the water's edge, or crashing waves light up the shoreline with an unearthly glow. This sublime display is a result of chemical reactions taking place inside bioluminescent algae which are found in abundance in the oceans. The image shown here depicts the phenomenon of bioluminescence when a smooth spherical ball moves through calm ocean waters at night. The flow pattern around the sphere was obtained using high-fidelity numerical simulations, and the paths of model bioluminescing organisms were computed as they encounter the sphere and move around it. The light-emission intensity was calculated based on the frictional stress levels that these organisms experience as they travel past the sphere. There is a region of recirculating water right behind the sphere where the bioluminescing organisms get trapped, resulting in high light emission intensity.