title: Corners, cusps, and pearls in running drops.
abstract: Small drops sliding down a partially wetting substrate bifurcate between different shapes depending on their capillary number Ca. At low Ca, they are delimited by a rounded, smooth contact line. At intermediate values they develop a corner at the trailing edge, the angle of which evolves from flat to 60 degrees with increasing velocity. Further up, they exhibit a cusped tail that emits smaller drops ("pearls"). These bifurcations may be qualitatively and quantitatively recovered by considering the dynamic contact angle along the contact line.
authors.affiliation: Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, UMR 7636 CNRS-ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Podgorski
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Flesselles
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Limat