Tractor beam on the water surface
Horst Punzmann, Nicolas Francois, Hua Xia, Gregory Falkovich, and, Michael Shats

TL;DR
This paper introduces a novel method for remotely manipulating objects on water surfaces using nonlinear waves generated by a vertical plunger, enabling control over floaters at a distance through engineered surface flows.
Contribution
It presents a new approach to remote object manipulation on water surfaces by creating complex flow patterns with nonlinear waves, expanding beyond traditional Stokes drift models.
Findings
Successful remote manipulation of floaters using surface waves.
Engineered flow patterns include inward/outward jets and vortices.
Method works for both gravity and capillary waves.
Abstract
Can one send a wave to bring an object from a distance? The general idea is inspired by the recent success in moving micro particles using light and the development of a tractor beam concept. For fluid surfaces, however, the only known paradigm is the Stokes drift model, where linear planar waves push particles in the direction of the wave propagation. Here we show how to fetch a macroscopic floater from a large distance by sending a surface wave towards it. We develop a new method of remote manipulation of floaters by forming inward and outward surface jets, stationary vortices, and other complex surface flows using nonlinear waves generated by a vertically oscillating plunger. The flows can be engineered by changing the geometry and the power of a wave maker, and the flow dissipation. The new method is robust and works both for long gravity and for short capillary waves. We use a…
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Taxonomy
TopicsOcean Waves and Remote Sensing · Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Interactions · Coastal and Marine Dynamics
