Scallop Theorem and Swimming at the Mesoscale Article Swipe

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Mesoscopic physics Inertia Physics Classical mechanics Reciprocal Dumbbell Mesoscale meteorology Asymmetry Mechanics Flow (mathematics) Fluid dynamics Ballooning Meteorology Plasma Quantum mechanics Tokamak Philosophy Physical therapy Linguistics Medicine

Maxime Hubert , Oleg Trosman , Ylona Collard , Alexander Sukhov , Jens Harting , Nicolas Vandewalle , Ana‐Sunčana Smith ·

YOU? · · 2021 · Open Access · · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.126.224501 · OA: W3069372847

By comparing theoretical modeling, simulations, and experiments, we show that there exists a swimming regime at low Reynolds numbers solely driven by the inertia of the swimmer itself. This is demonstrated by considering a dumbbell with an asymmetry in coasting time in its two spheres. Despite deforming in a reciprocal fashion, the dumbbell swims by generating a nonreciprocal Stokesian flow, which arises from the asymmetry in coasting times. This asymmetry acts as a second degree of freedom, which allows the scallop theorem to be fulfilled at the mesoscopic scale.