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Soap-film dynamics and topological transitions under continuous deformation*
Phys. Rev. Fluids 1, 060503 – Published 18 October, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.1.060503
Abstract
The response of a soap film to the continuous deformation of its wire boundary is considered, with particular attention to the topological transitions that can occur at critical stages of the deformation process. Two well-known examples that have been studied by both theory and experiment are the catenoid suspended between circular wires in parallel planes, and the Möbius-strip soap film spanning a wire that is twisted and folded back on itself. In this latter case, we have shown in previous publications that, when the wire is unfolded, the soap film undergoes a topological transition through a boundary singularity to a two-sided film, with a corresponding jump in the linking number between the axis of the wire and the Plateau boundary on its surface. Here, we review this particular aspect of the problem, and propose a simplified model experiment through which the slipping adjustment of a Plateau border on a solid surface may be investigated.
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
- *This paper is based on an invited lecture given by Keith Moffatt at the 68th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, which was held 22–24 November 2015 in Boston (MA), USA.
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2016 Invited Papers
Physical Review Fluids publishes a collection of papers associated with the invited talks presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics.
Article Text
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