Excited Sessile Drops Dance Harmonically

TL;DR

This paper presents a visualization method for identifying mode shapes of oscillated sessile drops using mesh deformation patterns and spherical harmonic analysis, aiding in fluid dynamics research.

Contribution

It introduces a novel visualization technique combining mesh deformation and harmonic analysis for mode identification of sessile drops.

Findings

Effective visualization of drop modes via mesh deformation

Identification of modes using spherical harmonics

Educational demonstration with mode quiz

Abstract

In our fluid dynamics video, we demonstrate our method of visualizing and identifying various mode shapes of mechanically oscillated sessile drops. By placing metal mesh under an oscillating drop and projecting light from below, the drop's shape is visualized by the visually deformed mesh pattern seen in the top view. The observed modes are subsequently identified by their number of layers and sectors. An alternative identification associates them with spherical harmonics, as demonstrated in the tutorial. Clips of various observed modes are presented, followed by a 10-second quiz of mode identification.