Drift of spheres in a rotating fluid

The drift of spheres in a rotating fluid is investigated. The problem is studied experimentally and numerically using the Galerkin method. It is shown that for small angular velocities of the fluid Ω the drift velocity of the spheres is almost independent of Ω, but once a certain threshold value Ω_* is attained the drift velocity rapidly decreases. The experimental dependence of the translational velocity of the sphere on the fluid angular velocity is explained on the basis of a theoretical analysis.