Today’s image of the week shows a simulation of a knotted tube.  Modelling twisting and knots like this is useful for simulating the behaviour of large molecules, cables and even the behaviour of magnetic flux lines in stars.

The formation of a ‘knotted’ tube from an unknotted tube. Pulling on the ends would lead to a knotted ribbon, adapted from Christopher B Prior and Sébastien Neukirch 2016 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 49 215201

In their paper, published in JPhysA, Christopher B Prior and Sébastien Neukirch present a new measure of the writhing of curves which assesses the changes in how a ribbon links itself due to deformation.

Read more: The extended polar writhe: a tool for open curves mechanics

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

Front Image and article image: The formation of a ‘knotted’ tube from an unknotted tube, adapted from Christopher B Prior and Sébastien Neukirch 2016 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 49 215201

Categories: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical

Tags: Image of the week, Knots, Mathematical physics, Simulation