Review of the physics of enhancing vortex lift by unsteady excitation

A review aimed at providing a physical understanding of the crucial mechanisms for obtaining super lift by means of unsteady excitations is presented. Particular attention is given to physical problems, including rolled-up vortex layer instability and receptivity, wave-vortex interaction and resonance, nonlinear streaming, instability of vortices behind bluff bodies and their shedding, and vortex breakdown. A general theoretical framework suitable for handling the unsteady vortex flows is introduced. It is suggested that wings with swept and sharp leading edges, equipped with devices for unsteady excitations, could yield the first breakthrough of the unsteady separation barrier and provide super lift at post-stall angle of attack.