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Journal of Fluid Mechanics

Wave- and potential-driven instabilities in orbital pilot-wave dynamics

Nicholas Liu, Matthew Durey, John W. M. Bush

Published Jul 17, 2025• 0 citations

Abstract

We present the results of a theoretical investigation of orbital stability in pilot-wave hydrodynamics, wherein a droplet bounces and self-propels across the surface of a vertically vibrating liquid bath. A critical notion in pilot-wave hydrodynamics is that the bath plays the role of the system memory, recording the history of the droplet in its wave field. Quantised orbital motion may arise when the droplet is confined by either an axisymmetric potential or the Coriolis force induced by system rotation. We here elucidate the dependence of the stability of circular orbits on both the form of the confining force and the system memory. We first provide physical insight by distinguishing between potential- and wave-driven instabilities. We demonstrate that the former are a generic feature of classical orbital dynamics at constant speed, while the latter are peculiar to pilot-wave systems. The wave-driven instabilities are marked by radial perturbations that either grow monotonically or oscillate at an integer multiple of the orbital frequency, in which case they are said to be resonant. Conversely, for potential-driven wobbling, the instability frequency may be resonant or non-resonant according to the form of the applied potential. Asymptotic analysis rationalises the different stability characteristics for linear-spring and Coriolis forces, the two cases that have been explored experimentally. Our results are generalised to consider other potentials of interest in pilot-wave hydrodynamics, and elucidate the distinct roles of wave- and potential-driven instabilities. Our study highlights the limitations of prior heuristic arguments for predicting the onset of orbital instability.

DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2025.10341

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We present the results of a theoretical investigation of droplets walking on a rotating vibrating fluid bath. The droplet’s trajectory is described in terms of an integro-differential equation that incorporates the influence of its propulsive wave force. Predictions for the dependence of the orbital radius on the bath’s rotation rate compare favourably with experimental data and capture the progression from continuous to quantized orbits as the vibrational acceleration is increased. The orbital quantization is rationalized by assessing the stability of the orbital solutions, and may be understood as resulting directly from the dynamic constraint imposed on the drop by its monochromatic guiding wave. The stability analysis also predicts the existence of wobbling orbital states reported in recent experiments, and the absence of stable orbits in the limit of large vibrational forcing.

A millimetric droplet can be induced to bounce on the surface of a fluid bath by vibrating the bath near the droplet's resonant frequency (Figure 1(a) ). [superscript 1–3] The localized field of Faraday waves excited by the bouncing droplet can cause it to propel itself laterally across the surface, moving in resonance with its guiding wave field (Figure 1(b) ). [superscript 4,5] These walking droplets, or “walkers,” generally move in a straight line at constant speed; however, they can be diverted through interaction with boundaries or external forces. This hydrodynamic system represents a macroscopic realization of the pilot-wave theory of quantum dynamics proposed by Louis de Broglie, according to which microscopic particles are propelled through a resonant interaction with a wave field generated by the particle's internal vibration. [superscript 6] Coincidentally, it exhibits many behaviors once thought to be exclusive to the microscopic quantum realm, including single-particle diffraction, [superscript 7] tunneling, [superscript 8] quantized orbits, [superscript 9] and orbital-level splitting. [superscript 10]

Abstract We present the results of a theoretical investigation of droplets walking on a rotating vibrating fluid bath. The droplet’s trajectory is described in terms of an integro-differential equation that incorporates the influence of its propulsive wave force. Predictions for the dependence of the orbital radius on the bath’s rotation rate compare favourably with experimental data and capture the progression from continuous to quantized orbits as the vibrational acceleration is increased. The orbital quantization is rationalized by assessing the stability of the orbital solutions, and may be understood as resulting directly from the dynamic constraint imposed on the drop by its monochromatic guiding wave. The stability analysis also predicts the existence of wobbling orbital states reported in recent experiments, and the absence of stable orbits in the limit of large vibrational forcing.

A droplet may ‘walk’ across the surface of a vertically vibrating bath of the same fluid, due to the propulsive interaction with its wave field. This hydrodynamic pilot-wave system exhibits many dynamics previously believed to exist only in the quantum realm. Starting from first principles, we derive a discrete-time fluid model, whereby the bath–droplet interactions are modelled as instantaneous. By analysing the stability of the fixed points of the system, we explain the dynamics of a walking droplet and capture the quantisations for multiple-droplet interactions. Circular orbits in a harmonic potential are studied, and a double quantisation of chaotic trajectories is obtained through systematic statistical analysis.