C.K. Chu
202 S.W. Mudd, Mail Code: 4701
New York, NY 10027
Phone: +1 212 854 2953
Email:
Fu Foundation Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics
Research specialty
Applied mathematics
Education
Ph.D. Courant Institute, New York University, 1959Research Interests
I work primarily in applied mathematics, particularly scientific computing. Applications include fluid dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, shock waves, and plasma simulation. One of my current research projects is plasma fusion simulation, in which the behavior of a magnetically confined plasma is simulated by the solution of a set of partial differential equations. Of particular interest are plasma equilibrium, stability, transport, and initial formation. Initial formation dynamics was for many years the specialty of the Columbia plasma physics group, and Columbia was noted for being a major supplier of Ph.D.'s in the field of plasma computation.
I have recently directed much of my attention toward nonlinear waves and nonlinear phenomena in hydrodynamics, and their numerical computation. In collaboration with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, I am now also active in computational studies of global ocean circulation. In particular, this involves the calculation of behavior of intensified currents, such as the Gulf Stream, using special grids, and a self-consistent study of the thermohaline convection.
What excites me about computational physics is the understanding and discovery of physical phenomena and mathematical facts through the intelligent use of the computer. In a sense, computation parallels theory and experiment as a highly effective method to study physical phenomena.
News
Prof. Chu received an honorary doctor of science degree at the 2006 commencement ceremony.
Select Publications
"Domain Decomposition for Shallow Water Equations", with J.G. Chefter and D. E. Keyes. Comtemporary Mathematics (Proc. 7th International Conf. on Domain Decompostion Methods in Sci. adn Eng.), to Appear (Oct. 1993).
"An Echocardiographic Study of the Fluid Mechanics of Obstruction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy", with M. V. Sherrid et al., J. Amer. Coll. Cardiology 22, 816 (1993).
"Equilibrium Response of Ocean Deep-Water Circulation to Variations in Ekman Pumping and Deep-water Sources", with F.L. Yin adn I.Y. Fung, J, Phys. Oceanography 22, 1129 (1192).
"Lagrangian Turbulence in Stokes Flow", with J. Chaiken, M. Tabor, and Q. M. Tan, Phys. Fluids 30, 687 (1987).
"Solitary Waves Generated by Boundary Motion", with L. W. Xiang and Y. Baransky, Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 36, 495 (1983).
"Computational Fluid Dynamics", in Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations, edited by S. Parter (Academic Press, 1979).
"Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics", in Advances in Applied Mechanics, edited by C.S. Yih (Academic Press, 1977), Vol. 17.