Walking droplets in confined domains

ORAL

Abstract

A millimetric liquid drop can walk spontaneously along the surface of a vibrating fluid bath, propelled by a resonant interaction with its own wave field. These walking droplets exhibit features previously thought to be exclusive to the microscopic quantum realm. We here explore experimentally the dynamics and statistics of this macroscopic wave-particle system in confined domains, or `corrals'. Particular attention is given to characterizing the influence of the corral geometry on the emergent probability distributions. The relation to analogous quantum systems (specifically, quantum corrals, the quantum mirage and scarring in Bose-Einstein condensates) is discussed.

*NSF support via CMMI-1333242

Authors

  • Pedro Sáenz

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • John Bush

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology