Traveling waves in a hydrodynamic model for schooling swimmers

ORAL

Abstract

We construct and analyze a continuum model of a 1D school of flapping swimmers, which interact through their collectively generated fluid flows. Our model is is motivated by ongoing experiments in the Applied Math Lab at NYU, in which heaving wings self-propel and interact in a water tank. We investigate the properties of our evolution equations both analytically and numerically, and find that a uniform density of swimmers destabilizes into a traveling wave. Generally, our model indicates that hydrodynamics may play a role in organizing densely packed schools and flocks.

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Presenters

  • Anand Oza

    Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Authors

  • Anand Oza

    Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology

  • Eva Kanso

    Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, Univ of Southern California, Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California

  • Michael Shelley

    Center for Computational Biology, Simons Foundation; Courant Institute of Mathematical Science, New York University, New York University, Courant Institute/Flatiron Institute, Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Flatiron Institute, CCB, Flatiron Institute