One-dimensional simulation of thin liquid-film-edge retraction

The phenomenon of liquid film retraction, occurring in bursting bubbles, is investigated in the simplest case of a semi-infinite sheet of inviscid liquid. Discretized equations of motion are solved on a staggered grid, with the boundary condition adapted to handle movement and breakup of liquid domain. Two independent approaches show a perfect agreement. The calculation shows a periodic pinchoff of small droplets, in contrast to the published results on viscid fluids where the liquid accumulates at the rim. A quantitative analysis of simulated liquid profiles shows that the characteristic parameters are very close to the theoretical predictions obtained from energy conservation and laws of motion.