Bridging dielectric fluids by light: A ray optics approach

Rayleigh-Plateau instability is known to impose a stability limit for the length of a liquid bridge in weightless conditions. This fundamental limit may be exceeded by using a light field to form and stabilize dielectric fluid bridges (A. Casner, J.P. Delville, Europhys. Lett. 65 , 337 (2004)). Usin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European physical journal. E, Soft matter and biological physics Soft matter and biological physics, 2008-08, Vol.26 (4), p.405-409, Article 405
Main Authors: Schroll, R. D., Brasselet, E., Zhang, W. W., Delville, J. -P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and Medical Physics
Biophysics
Chemistry
Complex Fluids and Microfluidics
Complex Systems
Engineering Sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Fluid mechanics
Fluids mechanics
General and physical chemistry
Mechanics
Nanotechnology
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Polymer Sciences
Soft and Granular Matter
Surface physical chemistry
Surfaces and Interfaces
Thin Films
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Summary:Rayleigh-Plateau instability is known to impose a stability limit for the length of a liquid bridge in weightless conditions. This fundamental limit may be exceeded by using a light field to form and stabilize dielectric fluid bridges (A. Casner, J.P. Delville, Europhys. Lett. 65 , 337 (2004)). Using both new experimental data as well as a new theoretical approach, we show that both the size and the stability of such light-sustained dielectric bridge can be qualitatively explained. We present a ray optics model that encompasses the competition between surface tension effects and optical radiation pressure arising from total internal reflection inside the bridge. A critical power below which a liquid bridge can no longer be sustained by light is predicted and confirmed experimentally. The observed power dependence of the bridge diameter also agrees with the proposed stabilization mechanism.
ISSN:1292-8941
1292-895X
DOI:10.1140/epje/i2008-10336-1