turbulentsne

Turbulentsne is a term used to describe the turbulent aerosol jet produced by a human sneeze. In fluid dynamics, it refers to a highly unsteady, multi-phase jet that ejects air, mucus, and saliva droplets into the surrounding environment. The phenomenon is dominated by turbulence, with a broad spectrum of droplet sizes—from submicron aerosols to droplets several hundred micrometers in diameter—and by rapid entrainment of surrounding air that dilutes and reorients the plume.

The sneeze plume evolves through a near-field region, where the jet velocity is highest, to a far-field region where momentum is lost and droplets begin to decouple from the air flow. Turbulence fosters fluctuations in velocity and concentration, increasing the likelihood that droplets travel in unpredictable paths before settling or evaporating into droplet nuclei.

Measurement and modeling of turbulentsne rely on experimental techniques such as high-speed imaging, schlieren or shadowgraph methods, and laser-based particle image velocimetry. Numerical approaches use computational fluid dynamics with turbulence models like large-eddy simulation or Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes, combined with multi-phase tracking of droplets and evaporation.

Health and safety relevance is central to the study of turbulentsne, as understanding the dynamics of sneeze plumes informs risk assessment for respiratory pathogen transmission, informs the design of ventilation systems, and helps evaluate the effectiveness of masks and distancing measures.

Variability and context play significant roles: plume behavior depends on individual sneeze force, posture, environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), room airflows, and proximity to other people. See also aerosol transmission, droplet dynamics, turbulence, and CFD.