Pattern formation in bubbles emerging periodically from a liquid free surface

. Patterns formed by centimeter scale bubbles on the free surface of a viscous liquid are investigated in a cylindrical container. These bubbles emerge periodically at the surface and interact with each other in the central zone. Their radial emission, due to interaction and radial surface flow, lea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European physical journal. E, Soft matter and biological physics Soft matter and biological physics, 2010-09, Vol.33 (1), p.11-18
Main Authors: Yoshikawa, H. N., Mathis, C., Maıssa, P., Rousseaux, G., Douady, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
Biological and Medical Physics
Biophysics
Complex Fluids and Microfluidics
Complex Systems
Engineering Sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Fluid dynamics
Fluid mechanics
Fluids mechanics
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Hydrodynamics
Mechanics
Motion
Nanotechnology
Nonlinear Sciences
Oils - chemistry
Pattern selection
pattern formation
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Polymer Sciences
Regular Article
Silicones - chemistry
Soft and Granular Matter
Surface Properties
Surfaces and Interfaces
Thin Films
Viscosity
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Summary:. Patterns formed by centimeter scale bubbles on the free surface of a viscous liquid are investigated in a cylindrical container. These bubbles emerge periodically at the surface and interact with each other in the central zone. Their radial emission, due to interaction and radial surface flow, leads to the formation of a variety of patterns. Different star-like and spiral patterns appear spontaneously by increasing the bubble emergence frequency. It is found that these patterns are due to a constant angular shift in the bubble emission direction. Measurements of this angular shift show a supercritical bifurcation accompanied by a transition from a pattern of two opposed straight arms to spiral patterns. By applying the tools and concepts from the study of leaf arrangement in botany (phyllotaxis), the recognized patterns and the mechanism of the pattern formation are discussed. Close similarities to the leaf arrangement are found in the behavior of the angular shift and the patterns. These findings suggest that the observed patterns are formed by a packing mechanism of successively appearing elements (bubbles), which is similar to that of the leaves at the earliest stage of phyllotaxis.
ISSN:1292-8941
1292-895X
DOI:10.1140/epje/i2010-10645-8