Abstract
The breakup of low-viscosity droplets like water is a ubiquitous and rich phenomenon. Theory predicts that in the inviscid limit one observes a finite-time singularity, giving rise to a universal power law, with a prefactor that is universal for a given density and surface tension. This universality has been proposed as a powerful tool to determine the dynamic surface tension at short time scales. We combine high-resolution experiments and simulations to show that this universality is unobservable in practice: in contrast to previous studies, we show that fluid and system parameters do play a role; notably a small amount of viscosity is sufficient to alter the breakup dynamics significantly.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 254501 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 121 |
Issue number | 25 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Dec 2018 |