The outbreak of the coronavirus disease has drawn public attention to the transmission of infectious pathogens, and as major carriers of those pathogens, respiratory droplets play an important role in the process of transmission. This Review describes respiratory droplets from a physical and mechanical perspective, especially their correlation with the transmission of infectious pathogens. It covers the important aspects of (i) the generation and expulsion of droplets during respiratory activities, (ii) the transport and evolution of respiratory droplets in the ambient environment, and (iii) the inhalation and deposition of droplets in the human respiratory tract. State-of-the-art experimental, computational, and theoretical models and results are presented, and the corresponding knowledge gaps are identified. This Review stresses the multidisciplinary nature of its subject and appeals for collaboration among different fields to fight the present pandemic.

中文翻译：

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飞沫在呼吸道传染病传播中的动态概述

新冠肺炎疫情的爆发引起了公众对传染性病原体传播的关注，而呼吸道飞沫作为传染性病原体的主要携带者，在传播过程中发挥着重要作用。这篇综述从物理和机械的角度描述了呼吸道飞沫，特别是它们与传染性病原体传播的相关性。它涵盖了以下重要方面：（i）呼吸活动期间飞沫的产生和排出，（ii）周围环境中呼吸道飞沫的运输和演变，以及（iii）人类呼吸道中飞沫的吸入和沉积。提出了最先进的实验、计算和理论模型和结果，并确定了相应的知识差距。本综述强调了其主题的多学科性质，并呼吁不同领域之间进行合作，以应对当前的大流行。