T. Barois, P. D. Huck, Ch. Paleo, M. Bourgoin & R. Volk, Probing fluid torque with a hydrodynamical trap : Rotation of chiral particles levitating in a turbulent jet, Physics of Fluids 31, 125116 (2019). Editors Selection and cover of Physics of Fluids.

A vertical turbulent jet is used to trap chiral particles. The particles are maintained in levitation and a stationary rotation regime is observed. The model particles used are composed of a sphere and a helical tail. The rotating performance of the particles is investigated as a function of the length and the twisting of their tails. In addition, the flow field around a spherical particle trapped in the jet is characterized by a particle tracking velocimetry technique (3D-PTV). This flow characterization is used to compute the near- field velocity around a captured particle and to predict the rotation reported for the different geometries tested.