title: Collapse dynamics of liquid bridges investigated by time-varying magnetic levitation
abstract: Using a novel technique that facilitates temporal control over the total body force on a liquid, an unexpected scaling relationship was discovered for the collapse time of a liquid bridge. A paramagnetic liquid was suspended between the tips of two collinear rods in a strong magnetic field gradient that was adjusted to compensate gravity. A sudden change of the magnet current, corresponding to a change of Bond number, resulted in a deformation and ultimate collapse of the liquid bridge. The collapse time was found to be independent of the bridge length when other parameters were held constant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mahajan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsige
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosenblatt