Electro-Fluid-Mechanics of the Heart

Inaugural Course of the Doctorate in Aerospace Science and Technology 

held by

Prof. Roberto Verzicco 

U. di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma & GSSI L’Aquila

ABSTRACT

We will illustrate and discuss the complex and synergistic mechanisms which allow the human heart to reliably beat 40 million times per year and to operate using only 8W of power, lifelong. We will see that this is possible thanks to the strong coupling of the electrophysiologic system which drives the active tissue contraction with precise timings in turn driving the pulsatile blood flow whose correct direction is assured by the passive valves.

In the second part of the seminar, we will discuss the physical models and the computational methods needed to model and simulate such a complex system. Some experimental setups and measurements will be also shown in order to discuss to what extent a numerical model can predict the dynamics of the heart.

PROF. ROBERTO VERZICCO

Roberto Verzicco is professor in Fluid Dynamics at the University of Roma `Tor Vergata' and at the Gran Sasso Science Institute of L'Aquila. His research interests are in experimental and numerical fluid dynamics and since 1993 he has published more than 200 papers. He is interested in the direct numerical simulation of turbulent flows, convective turbulence, geophysical flows and bio-fluid mechanics. He is also collaborating with the University of Twente where he is part-time professor. In 2012 he organized the 9th European Fluid Mechanics Conference. He is now Chairman of the European Fluid Mechanics Conference Committee and member of the EUROMECH Council. He is in the Editorial board of several scientific journals and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics. He received the Frenkiel Award 2005 from the American Physical Society for his studies on natural convection. In 2012 he was nominated EUROMECH Fellow and in 2013 APS Fellow.