Our faith was that pushing further the boundaries of knowledge is the best way to contribute to applications: Concerning heuristics progresses on the lamellar representation of mixing, the concept of `diffuselet’, and the ongoing `quantum’ theory of mixing, which consists in representing a mixture as the sum of its fundamental constituents (the diffuselets which we call quanta) and their interaction rule, is with no doubt way beyond the state of the art of the discipline. It provides very precise predictions and is easily adapted to numerical computations. It is undoubtedly one of the highlights of this program and has found many applications in seals ESRs work.
Other advances have occurred in the field of mixing in stratified flows, a longstanding question, which has received recently, within this program (with ESR2) decisive elements of answers. The -practically not investigated before- mixing of fluids with very different viscosities has progressed fundamentally. More generally, our ESRs, working at the forefront of their respective disciplines, contribute to a better understanding of the fundamentals, and therefore foster improved methods when these need to be improved, may they concern the search for better productivity, design policies, or safety practices.
In sum, the goal of CoPerMix was to train a new generation of scientists via research on these scientific objectives to revolutionize the approach to mixing across different fields ranging from blending/stirring protocols, chemistry, biology, and physics to environmental sciences using a multidisciplinary approach which integrates leading academic and industrial partners. This endeavor has involved original experiments, refined theories, modeling, intellectual rethinking, and the enrollment of students in fertilizing exchanges between various research communities to open their minds to unexpected aspects, consequences, or applications of their work.
It has been a great privilege of this interdisciplinary program (and a real pleasure for its coordinator) to raise a generation of young researchers for addressing these outstanding issues in the future.
