Restoring universality to the pinch-off of a bubble.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 116(28): 13780-13784, 2019 07 09.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31209045
The pinch-off of a bubble is an example of the formation of a singularity, exhibiting a characteristic separation of length and time scales. Because of this scale separation, one expects universal dynamics that collapse into self-similar behavior determined by the relative importance of viscous, inertial, and capillary forces. Surprisingly, however, the pinch-off of a bubble in a large tank of viscous liquid is known to be nonuniversal. Here, we show that the pinch-off dynamics of a bubble confined in a capillary tube undergo a sequence of two distinct self-similar regimes, even though the entire evolution is controlled by a balance between viscous and capillary forces. We demonstrate that the early-time self-similar regime restores universality to bubble pinch-off by erasing the system's memory of the initial conditions. Our findings have important implications for bubble/drop generation in microfluidic devices, with applications in inkjet printing, medical imaging, and synthesis of particulate materials.
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01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos