Asymmetric disconnection of an underwater air bubble: persistent neck vibrations evolve into a smooth contact.
The disconnection of an underwater bubble illustrates how slight initial asymmetries can prevent the formation of a finite-time singularity. Creating a singularity by 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. We show a slight azimuthal asymmetry in the initial shape of the bubble neck excites vibrations that persist over time. As a result, the focusing singularity is generically preempted by a smooth contact.
Physics Department and the James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Konstantin S
KS
Turitsyn
Lipeng
L
Lai
Wendy W
WW
Zhang