Restoring universality to the pinch-off of a bubble

TitleRestoring universality to the pinch-off of a bubble
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsPahlavan, A, Stone, HA, McKinley, GH, Juanes, R
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date PublishedMay-06-2020
ISSN0027-8424
Abstract

We observe the formation of bubbles and drops on a daily basis, from dripping faucets to raindrops entraining bubbles on the surface of a lake. The ubiquity of the phenomenon masks the fascinating underlying nonlinear dynamics that is such an important aspect of modern physics. Here, we report on the surprising observation that confinement makes the pinch-off of a bubble a universal process, as opposed to the unconfined case, where pinch-off is sensitive to the details of the experimental setting. We explain how the motion of the contact line, where the liquid, gas, and solid phases meet, leads to self-similar dynamics that effectively erase the memory of the system. Our observations have implications for immiscible flow phenomena from microfluidics to geophysical flows, where confinement, together with fluid–solid physicochemical interactions, play a key role.

URLhttps://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/06/11/1819744116
DOI10.1073/pnas.1819744116
Short TitleProc Natl Acad Sci USA