Work

Zero-Mean Oscillations Drive Recirculations in Potential Flows at Vanishing Reynolds Number

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Recirculating flows are central to transport phenomena, but their generation in potential flows requires additional physical mechanisms. We show experimentally that recirculation at vanishing Reynolds number can be produced at prescribed locations by coupling oscillations of a Hele-Shaw cell ceiling with an off-center passive obstacle. The net drift is well described by a potential flow model with no adjustable parameters. The resulting flows are localized around the obstacles and can be combined to generate programmable flow patterns at the microscale.

Source: arXiv (Cornell University)

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2609.31196

Authors: Avaro, Alexandre S., Gebhard, Leon V., Amselem, Gabriel, Baroud, Charles N.

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Polytechnique, Laboratoire d'Hydrodynamique de l'École polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Microfluidique Physique et Bio-ingénierie

Language: English

Topic: Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: European Commission

Award: G9000377977

OpenAlex ID: W7214620932

Cites: 1

Cited by:

Related to: 10