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Updated: May 31, 2026

Visualization of High Speed Liquid Jet Impaction on a Moving Surface
Published on: April 17, 2015
Size limits the formation of liquid jets during bubble bursting
Ji San Lee1, Byung Mook Weon, Su Ji Park
1X-ray Imaging Center, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, San 31, Hyoja-dong, Pohang 790-784, Korea.
Abstract:
A bubble reaching an air-liquid interface usually bursts and forms a liquid jet. Jetting is relevant to climate and health as it is a source of aerosol droplets from breaking waves. Jetting has been observed for large bubbles with radii of R≫100 μm. However, few studies have been devoted to small bubbles (R<100 μm) despite the entrainment of a large number of such bubbles in sea water. Here we show that jet formation is inhibited by bubble size; a jet is not formed during bursting for bubbles smaller than a critical size. Using ultrafast X-ray and optical imaging methods, we build a phase diagram for jetting and the absence of jetting. Our results demonstrate that jetting in bubble bursting is analogous to pinching-off in liquid coalescence. The coalescence mechanism for bubble bursting may be useful in preventing jet formation in industry and improving climate models concerning aerosol production.
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