Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 32: Statistical Physics of Biological Systems III (joint session BP/DY)

BP 32.12: Talk

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 18:00–18:15, BAR/SCHÖ

Inertial instability of blood in cross microchannels — •Joséphine Van Hulle and Christian Wagner — Experimental Physics, Saarland University, Germany

A localized reduction of vessel diameter (stenosis) increases the local blood flow speed and can trigger downstream recirculation which promotes conditions for the vessel blockage (thrombosis). The role of fluid elasticity in these flows remains underexplored. We isolate the extensional effects using cross-slot microfluidics, which creates an elongation plane with a well-defined inertial instability. By varying the hematocrit and plasma composition, we show that red blood cell deformability and plasma viscoelasticity lower the critical Reynolds number for the onset of vortex formation. These results highlight that even weak elastic stresses of blood can favor recirculation, a characteristic rarely modeled but necessary for physiologically realistic arterial simulations.

Keywords: Blood; Crosss-slot; Micofluidics; Viscoelasticity; Red Blood Cells