Fjords in viscous fingering: Selection of width and opening angle

Leif Ristroph, Matthew Thrasher, Mark B. Mineev-Weinstein, Harry L. Swinney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Our experiments on viscous fingering of air into oil contained between closely spaced plates reveal two selection rules for the fjords of oil that separate fingers of air. (Fjords are the building blocks of solutions of the zero-surface-tension Laplacian growth equation.) Experiments in rectangular and circular geometries yield fjords with base widths λc/2, where λc is the most unstable wavelength from a linear stability analysis. Further, fjords open at an angle of 8.0°±1.0°. These selection rules hold for a wide range of pumping rates and fjord lengths, widths, and directions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number015201
JournalPhysical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
Volume74
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
  • Statistics and Probability
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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