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Three-lobed shape bifurcation of rotating liquid drops
1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|October 4, 2000
Summary
Driven oscillations extend the stability of rotating liquid drops beyond typical 2-lobed shapes. Inertia from these oscillations suppresses instabilities, allowing for higher-order shape bifurcations, such as 3-lobed shapes.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Nonlinear dynamics
- Liquid behavior
Background:
- Rigidly rotating liquid drops exhibit equilibrium shape bifurcations.
- The natural evolution leads to a 2-lobed shape instability.
- Understanding these shape dynamics is crucial for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extension of axisymmetric equilibrium shapes in rotating liquid drops.
- To explore the effect of driven axisymmetric shape oscillations on drop stability.
- To identify conditions for higher-order shape bifurcations.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of rotating liquid drop dynamics.
- Analysis of axisymmetric shape oscillations (perturbations).
- Identification of bifurcation points and shape evolution.
Main Results:
- Driven n=2 axisymmetric oscillations extend stability beyond the natural 2-lobed bifurcation point.
- Inertia from driven oscillations suppresses nonaxisymmetric fluctuations.
- The drop's shape eventually bifurcates into 2- or 3-lobed shapes at a higher bifurcation point.
Conclusions:
- Axisymmetric shape oscillations can significantly alter the stability and evolution of rotating liquid drops.
- This method allows for the exploration of previously inaccessible higher-order shape bifurcations.
- The findings provide insights into controlling liquid drop morphology under rotation.