First observation of the Josephson-Anderson relation in experiments on hydrodynamic drag

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Main Authors: Savelli, Nicola, Khojasteh, Ali R, Buchner, Abel-John, Westerweel, Jerry, van de Water, Willem
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Savelli, Nicola
Khojasteh, Ali R
Buchner, Abel-John
Westerweel, Jerry
van de Water, Willem
author_facet Savelli, Nicola
Khojasteh, Ali R
Buchner, Abel-John
Westerweel, Jerry
van de Water, Willem
contents We verify a recent prediction (Eq. 3.50 in G. L. Eyink, Phys. Rev. X 11, 031054 (2021)) for the drag on an object moving through a fluid. In this prediction the velocity field is decomposed into a nonvortical (potential) and vortical contribution, and so is the associated drag force. In the Josephson-Anderson relation the vortical contribution of the drag force follows from the flux of vorticity traversing the streamlines of the corresponding potential flow. The potential component is directly determined by the plate acceleration and its added mass. The Josephson-Anderson relation is derived from the quantum description of superfluids, but remarkably applies to the classical fluid in our experiment. In our experiment a flat plate is accelerated through water using a robotic arm. This geometry is simple enough to allow analytic potential flow streamlines. The monitored plate position shows an oscillatory component of the acceleration, which adds an additional test of the Josephson-Anderson relation. The instantaneous velocity field is measured using particle image velocimetry. It enables us to evaluate Eq. 3.50 from [1] and compare its prediction to the measured drag force. We find excellent agreement, and, most remarkably find that the added mass contribution to the drag force still stands out after the flow has turned vortical. We finally comment on the requirements on the experimental techniques for evaluating the Josephson-Anderson relation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_19824
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle First observation of the Josephson-Anderson relation in experiments on hydrodynamic drag
Savelli, Nicola
Khojasteh, Ali R
Buchner, Abel-John
Westerweel, Jerry
van de Water, Willem
Fluid Dynamics
We verify a recent prediction (Eq. 3.50 in G. L. Eyink, Phys. Rev. X 11, 031054 (2021)) for the drag on an object moving through a fluid. In this prediction the velocity field is decomposed into a nonvortical (potential) and vortical contribution, and so is the associated drag force. In the Josephson-Anderson relation the vortical contribution of the drag force follows from the flux of vorticity traversing the streamlines of the corresponding potential flow. The potential component is directly determined by the plate acceleration and its added mass. The Josephson-Anderson relation is derived from the quantum description of superfluids, but remarkably applies to the classical fluid in our experiment. In our experiment a flat plate is accelerated through water using a robotic arm. This geometry is simple enough to allow analytic potential flow streamlines. The monitored plate position shows an oscillatory component of the acceleration, which adds an additional test of the Josephson-Anderson relation. The instantaneous velocity field is measured using particle image velocimetry. It enables us to evaluate Eq. 3.50 from [1] and compare its prediction to the measured drag force. We find excellent agreement, and, most remarkably find that the added mass contribution to the drag force still stands out after the flow has turned vortical. We finally comment on the requirements on the experimental techniques for evaluating the Josephson-Anderson relation.
title First observation of the Josephson-Anderson relation in experiments on hydrodynamic drag
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.19824