Asymmetric bubble disconnection: persistent vibration evolves into smooth contact

TL;DR

This paper investigates how initial asymmetries in underwater bubble disconnection lead to persistent vibrations that evolve into smooth contact, resulting in the bubble neck breaking into lobes, highlighting the role of imperfections in dynamic focusing.

Contribution

It demonstrates how initial asymmetries cause sustained vibrations and smooth contact in bubble disconnection, providing insight into the effects of imperfections on singularity formation.

Findings

Persistent vibrations are excited by initial asymmetries.

Vibrations evolve into smooth contact, causing the neck to break into lobes.

Imperfections prevent focusing singularities in bubble disconnection.

Abstract

Focusing a finite amount of energy dynamically into a vanishingly small amount of material requires that the initial condition be perfectly symmetric. In reality, imperfections are always present and cut-off the approach towards the focusing singularity. The disconnection of an underwater bubble provides a simple example of this process. An initial asymmetry in the shape of the bubble neck excites vibrations that persist over time. Often the vibrations evolve into a smooth contact that severs the neck into several lobes.