  We study numerically the two-dimensional flow past a circular cylinder as a
prototypical transitional flow, and investigate the influence of a generic slip
boundary condition on the wake dynamics. We show that slip significantly delays
the onset of recirculation and shedding in the wake behind the cylinder. As
expected, the drag on the cylinder decreases with slip, with an increased drag
sensitivity for large Reynolds numbers. We also show that past the critical
shedding Reynolds number, slip decreases the vorticity intensity in the wake,
as well as the lift forces on the cylinder, but increases the shedding
frequency. We further provide evidence that the shedding transition can be
interpreted as a critical accumulation of surface vorticity, similarly to
related studies on wake instability of axisymmetric bodies. Finally, we propose
that our results could be used as a passive method to infer the effective
friction properties of slipping surfaces.
