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Choueiri, George H. López-Alonso, José Manuel Hof, Björn 2024-09-26T16:26:39Z 2024-09-26T16:26:39Z 2018-03-19 Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 124501 https://hdl.handle.net/10630/33520 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.124501 The drag of turbulent flows can be drastically decreased by addition of 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 will show in the following 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. eng open access Aerodinámica Polímeros Exceeding the Asymptotic Limit of Polymer Drag Reduction. journal article