title: Hysteretic behavior in three-dimensional soap film rearrangements.
abstract: We report experiments on soap film configurations in a triangular prism for which the shape factor can be changed continuously. Two stable configurations can be observed for a range of the shape factor h, being the prism-height/edge-length ratio. A hysteretic behavior is found, due to the occurrence of another local minima in the free energy. Contrary to a common belief, soap films can be trapped in a particular configuration being different from a global surface minimization. This metastability can be evidenced from a geometrical model based on idealized structures. Depending on the configuration, the transition is either first or second order, providing clues on the structural relaxations taking place into three-dimensional foams, such as T1 rearrangements.
authors.affiliation: GRASP, Physics Department, University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vandewalle
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noirhomme
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schockmel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mersch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lumay
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Terwagne
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dorbolo