Merging Soap Films

Beng Hau Tan
Silvestre Roberto Gonzalez Avila
Claus-Dieter Ohl
Nanyang Technological University


Merging Soap Films
Image by Cavitation Lab @ NTU

High speed video recordings reveal complex fluid mechanics in the region where two soap bubbles merge. Here, surface tension is driving a very rapid flow into artistic patterns. Although the geometry of the problem is circularly symmetric, we observe intricate instabilities giving rise to petals, fractal-like structures and streaks that emerge within 100 microseconds after merging.


Usage Information

This image may be freely reproduced with the accompanying credit: Cavitation Lab @ NTU

Contact Information

Claus-Dieter Ohl
cdohl@ntu.edu.sg
Nanyang Technological University
School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Division of Physics and Applied Physics
SPMS-04-01, 21 Nanyang Link
Singapore 637731