Suppression of dripping from a ceiling.
Phys Rev Lett
; 86(7): 1203-6, 2001 Feb 12.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-11178044
ABSTRACT
An isothermal layer suspended from a surface is gravitationally (Rayleigh-Taylor) unstable. We find that, when a vertical temperature difference DeltaT above a critical value (DeltaT)(c) is imposed across the liquid-gas layer system (heated from below), the restoring force provided by the temperature-dependent surface tension (thermocapillarity) can stabilize the layer. Our measurements of the most unstable wave number for DeltaT<(DeltaT)(c) agree well with our linear stability analysis. The instability occurs at long wavelengths the most unstable wavelength at (DeltaT)(c) is infinite.