Dynamics of droplets in dense emulsions

Emulsions are fascinating systems displaying an extremely rich and fundamental fluid dynamic phenomenology. From dilute to highly concentrated, emulsions can exhibit a variety of small-scale morphology and statistical properties. In particular, stabilized emulsions with high volume fraction for the dispersed phase (i.e. above 65{\%}), can display much of the rich phenomenology and rheological properties typical of soft-glasses. First, by means of state-of-the-art 3d numerical simulations, based on the multi-component Lattice Boltzmann method, we study the dynamics of the emulsification processes induced by a large-scale chaotic stirring. Second, we present and discuss a number of observables that allows us to statistically characterize the dynamics of the emulsion at the microscopic scale, these quantities include: the probability distribution function of the velocity and acceleration of single droplets, the relative and absolute dispersion of droplets. Outlook on connecting the microscopic dynamics with large-scale rheology will be discussed