Shape fluctuations of a Deforamable Body in a Randomly Stirred Host Fluid

Abstract

Consider a deformable body immersed in an incompressible fluid that is randomly stirred. Sticking to physical situations in which the body departs only slightly from its spherical shape, we investigate the deformations of the body. The shape is decomposed into spherical harmonic modes. We study the correlations of these modes for a general class of random flows that include the flow due to thermal agitation. Our results are general in the sense that they are applicable to any body that is described solely by the shape of its surface.