article published yes George H Choueiri author 448BD5BC-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87 Jose M Lopez Alonso author 40770848-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0002-0384-2022 Björn Hof author 3A374330-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0003-2057-2754 BjHo department International IST Postdoc Fellowship Programme project Decoding the complexity of turbulence at its origin project The drag of turbulent flows can be drastically decreased by adding small amounts of high molecular weight polymers. While drag reduction initially increases with polymer concentration, it eventually saturates to what is known as the maximum drag reduction (MDR) asymptote; this asymptote is generally attributed to the dynamics being reduced to a marginal yet persistent state of subdued turbulent motion. Contrary to this accepted view, we show that, for an appropriate choice of parameters, polymers can reduce the drag beyond the suggested asymptotic limit, eliminating turbulence and giving way to laminar flow. At higher polymer concentrations, however, the laminar state becomes unstable, resulting in a fluctuating flow with the characteristic drag of the MDR asymptote. Our findings indicate that the asymptotic state is hence dynamically disconnected from ordinary turbulence. © 2018 American Physical Society. American Physical Society2018 eng 1703.06271 00042780400000510.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501 12012 Choueiri, George H., et al. “Exceeding the Asymptotic Limit of Polymer Drag Reduction.” <i>Physical Review Letters</i>, vol. 120, no. 12, 124501, American Physical Society, 2018, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501">10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501</a>. Choueiri GH, Lopez Alonso JM, Hof B. 2018. Exceeding the asymptotic limit of polymer drag reduction. Physical Review Letters. 120(12), 124501. Choueiri GH, Lopez Alonso JM, Hof B. Exceeding the asymptotic limit of polymer drag reduction. <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. 2018;120(12). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501">10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501</a> Choueiri, G. H., Lopez Alonso, J. M., &#38; Hof, B. (2018). Exceeding the asymptotic limit of polymer drag reduction. <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. American Physical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501">https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501</a> G.H. Choueiri, J.M. Lopez Alonso, B. Hof, Physical Review Letters 120 (2018). G. H. Choueiri, J. M. Lopez Alonso, and B. Hof, “Exceeding the asymptotic limit of polymer drag reduction,” <i>Physical Review Letters</i>, vol. 120, no. 12. American Physical Society, 2018. Choueiri, George H, Jose M Lopez Alonso, and Björn Hof. “Exceeding the Asymptotic Limit of Polymer Drag Reduction.” <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. American Physical Society, 2018. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501">https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501</a>. 3282018-12-11T11:45:51Z2025-06-04T07:52:00Z