Simulations of coulombic fission of charged inviscid drops
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Fast Imaging Technique to Study Drop Impact Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Published on: March 5, 2014
1James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. jcburton@uchicago.edu
Abstract:
We present boundary-integral simulations of the evolution of critically charged droplets. For such droplets, small perturbations are unstable and eventually lead to the formation of a lemon-shaped drop with very sharp tips. For perfectly conducting drops, the tip forms a self-similar cone shape with a subtended angle identical to that of a Taylor cone, and quantities such as pressure and velocity diverge in time with power-law scaling. In contrast, when charge transport is described by a finite conductivity, we find that small progeny drops are formed at the tips, whose size decreases as the conductivity is increased. These small progeny drops are of nearly critical charge, and are precursors to the emission of a sustained flow of liquid from the tips as observed in experiments of isolated charged drops.
Related Concept Videos
Coulomb's Law and The Principle of Superposition
The Principle of Superposition answers the question. Yes, Coulomb's Law applies to each pair of charges, and the net force on each charge is the vector sum of the...
Coulomb's Law
Newton's third law applies to the Coulomb force — the force on...
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble
Continuous Charge Distributions
The electric charge can also be subjected to an analogical...
