Scattering by a draining bathtub vortex
Abstract
We present an analysis of scattering by a fluid-mechanical `black hole analogue', known as the draining bathtub vortex: a two-dimensional flow which possesses both a sonic horizon and an ergoregion. We consider the scattering of a plane wave of fixed frequency impinging upon the vortex. At low frequency, we encounter a modified Aharonov-Bohm effect. At high frequencies, we observe regular `orbiting' oscillations in the scattering length, due to interference between contra-orbiting rays. We present approximate formulae for both effects, and a selection of numerical results obtained by summing partial-wave series. Finally, we examine interference patterns in the vicinity of the vortex, and highlight the prospects for experimental investigation.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1211.3751,
title = {Scattering by a draining bathtub vortex},
author = {Sam R. Dolan and Ednilton S. Oliveira},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1211.3751},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
15 pages, 8 figures