ABSTRACT

Pilot-wave hydrodynamics provides a unique experimental platform for exploring active particles coupled through a self-generated wave field. In this talk, I will describe our efforts to gain greater control over these systems. I will first discuss how capillarity and ligament breakup enable reproducible generation of millimetric droplets before turning to their dynamics on a vibrating bath. I will then introduce a method for controlling droplet motion by superimposing a small periodic rocking motion onto the conventional vertical forcing. By tuning the amplitude, phase, and direction of this rocking, we can exert controlled lateral forces and propel droplets along prescribed trajectories. I will conclude by discussing how these tools may enable controlled studies of many interacting walkers and wave-mediated active matter.

BRIEF ACADEMIC/EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

I am an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Yale. Before joining Yale, I was an Applied Math Instructor at MIT. I hold a PhD from MIT, as well as a BSc and MSc from the University of Alberta.

MOST RECENT RESEARCH INTERESTS:

 I am a fluid mechanician interested in problems where capillarity plays a feature-defining role. Most of my recent work is centered around fluid-fluid displacement in disordered environments and pilot-wave hydrodynamics.