Geometric Memory Generates Irreversible Transport in Time-Periodic Irrotational Flows

Mounir Kassmi

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arXiv · 2603.24455

Geometric Memory Generates Irreversible Transport in Time-Periodic Irrotational Flows

Mounir Kassmi

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Abstract

Irreversible transport is generally attributed to vorticity, nonlinear forcing, or explicit symmetry breaking. We show that it can arise even in strictly time-periodic and locally irrotational flows through a purely geometric mechanism. By reconstructing the velocity gradient through causal self-transport over a finite memory time, deformation acquires the structure of a geometric connection whose holonomy generates a finite Lagrangian drift over one forcing cycle. The resulting contribution admits a closed-form, parameter-free expression. A quantitative consistency analysis using independently published experimental measurements shows that the predicted scaling and magnitude agree with observations without fitting or normalization. These results identify geometric memory as a minimal and generic source of irreversible transport.

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Mounir Kassmi. 2026-03-25. Geometric Memory Generates Irreversible Transport in Time-Periodic Irrotational Flows. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.24455

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