2004/03/09 by Jens Eggers, Eggers, Jens
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer #Micro and Nano Robotics #Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity #physics.flu-dyn
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/0403056
book chapter for "Colloque Jean Jacques Moreau"
arxiv created 2004/03/09 · openalex publication_date 2004/03/09 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Surface-tension-related phenomena have fascinated researchers for a long time, and the mathematical description pioneered by Young and Laplace opened the door to their systematic study. The time scale on which surface-tension-driven motion takes place is usually quite short, making experimental investigation quite demanding. Accordingly, most theoretical and experimental work has focused on static phenomena, and in particular the measurement of surface tension, by physicists like Eötvös, Lenard, and Bohr. Here we will review some of the work that has eventually lead to a closer scrutiny of time-dependent flows, highly non-linear in nature. Often this motion is self-similar in nature, such that it can in fact be mapped onto a pseudo-stationary problem, amenable to mathematical analysis.