dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaAir entrainment through free-surface cusps
| Authors | Jens Eggers |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0011026 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0011026 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.4290 |
Abstract
In many industrial processes, such as pouring a liquid or coating a rotating cylinder, air bubbles are entrapped inside the liquid. We propose a novel mechanism for this phenomenon, based on the instability of cusp singularities that generically form on free surfaces. The air being drawn into the narrow space inside the cusp destroys its stationary shape when the walls of the cusp come too close. Instead, a sheet emanates from the cusp's tip, through which air is entrained. Our analytical theory of this instability is confirmed by experimental observation and quantitative comparison with numerical simulations of the flow equations.
{
"annotation_id": "b77aa502-3be4-4baa-a786-47b93169cfdb",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:00:32.820000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:00:32.820000Z",
"file_hash": "01f0b840290f6f85b8d926f46a6d0450b44a7a6ffe2ef2ad81f6f6a23967740b",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "In many industrial processes, such as pouring a liquid or coating a rotating\ncylinder, air bubbles are entrapped inside the liquid. We propose a novel\nmechanism for this phenomenon, based on the instability of cusp singularities\nthat generically form on free surfaces. The air being drawn into the narrow\nspace inside the cusp destroys its stationary shape when the walls of the cusp\ncome too close. Instead, a sheet emanates from the cusp\u0027s tip, through which\nair is entrained. Our analytical theory of this instability is confirmed by\nexperimental observation and quantitative comparison with numerical simulations\nof the flow equations.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0011026",
"authors": [
"Jens Eggers"
],
"categories": [
"physics.flu-dyn"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.4290",
"title": "Air entrainment through free-surface cusps",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0011026"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "1ed5e4ed-3056-4c48-9efd-96ced52afe98",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}